


Switched Fate

by LoveSquared



Category: Mystic Messenger (Video Game)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Mint Eye and RFA Switched, Angst, F/M, Fluff, Implied/Referenced Drug Use, Minor Violence, No Smut, Non-Consensual, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Slow Burn, Spoilers, Unrequited Crush(es)
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-11-06
Updated: 2020-03-22
Packaged: 2021-01-24 03:55:49
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 19
Words: 68,635
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21331879
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/LoveSquared/pseuds/LoveSquared
Summary: This is an alternate universe where V & the classic RFA members run Mint Eye, and Rika & Saeran run a fundraising association.V is the new Savior of Mint Eye and reports that his beloved- now known as the Founder- had passed.Rika is not dead. She left Mint Eye to start a fundraising association and live a normal life. Saeran is in charge of security. He scouts MC to infiltrate Mint Eye, per request by Rika. Rika believes that MC may be the key to save everyone.
Relationships: Choi Saeran & Vanderwood, Choi Saeran/Main Character, Mint Eye & RFA & Main Character (Mystic Messenger), RFA/Main Character (Mystic Messenger), Rika & Choi Saeran, Rika/V | Kim Jihyun
Comments: 59
Kudos: 128





	1. Mission Start

**Author's Note:**

> This is my first post and fanfiction, so I hope y'all like it!!
> 
> Also a big thank you to Cheritz! I appreciate.
> 
> Acronyms:  
MC - Main Character  
ME - Mint Eye
> 
> Shift Notation:  
♥♥♥ - Main Perspective Change and Time Skip  
... - Short Time Skip or Main Perspective Change

The meeting was about to start. It will when the Savior arrives, that is.

Some disciples pass by the meeting room and glance at the five executives waiting patiently outside the door. Four men, one woman. One of the men is sitting on the ground, typing on a laptop. The others stand near the door. The disciples are careful not to make eye contact, as not to disrespect their superiors. It was already an honor to see them all together, and that only happened for special occasions.

They each wore beautiful deep-colored suits, unlike the generic black robes that the believers had to wear. There was a stiff air around them. They knew of the authority and influence they held in this place. Still, many disciples were more jealous, and in awe, of how close the executives were to each other.

“No need to keep your head down,” One of the executives coos. “This is paradise. Please hold yourselves with pride.”

They look up nervously to meet violet eyes looking warmly at them. Blonde hair is clipped neatly to the sides and a sweet smile welcomes them.

The disciples nod quickly. “Thank you for such kindness Mr. Yoosung!” The poisonous smile fades as they quicken their pace and leave their sight before anything else can be said.

The man sitting on the ground lets out a small chuckle without looking up from his laptop.

“Hmph. That was no fun.” Yoosung pouts and looks around with a bored expression. There were no distractions since the disciples left. He restlessly shifts in his blazer that fits him perfectly.

“We know you like to play games Yoosung, but please spend your time more productively than to just waste time with disciples.” The woman brushes her fingers through her short brown hair before adjusting her glasses. “Well, I can’t blame you since we have this meeting right now, but I’m just suggesting in general. You could be studying more.”

“Well not everyone is a genius like you Jaehee… This isn’t fair.” The young man scowls before pouting again. “The Savior still isn’t here- did he forget to show up?”

Grey eyes flicker to look at him briefly. “Please have some faith Yoosung.” The man clears his throat before continuing. “You shouldn’t doubt our Savior.” Matter-of-factly, as per usual. He stands patiently, staring off with a stoic look that rests naturally on his face.

Yoosung crosses his arms. “Hmph. He is the Savior, but Rika was our Founder—!” Beginning to stammer, he is cut off by a pat on the head.

Red eyes convey pity for the young man. “Yoosung. We’ve been over this so much, please move on~ Do you need more elixir? I can help you make some if you do.” His white hair frames his face perfectly, and he looks down at Yoosung with a bemused smile.

Yoosung slaps his hand away. “Ugh, stop treating me like a child.” He turns away and leans on the wall a little farther away from the group.

The man sitting on the floor presses a few more keys on his laptop with an exaggerated flair of his arms and lets out a sigh. He suddenly closes his laptop and jumps up. The others flinch in response, and he walks directly to the youngest member and squeezes Yoosung’s cheeks.

“Aw, look at cutie Yoosung all mad~! Do you want to play with me instead?? You’ve got my attention now~” He grabs Yoosung’s wrists as he leans in to get the boy to face him. Yoosung shivers but knows better than to resist.

“Hahahaha! Awww don’t be scared of me- you’re my favorite to mess with! You know _I’m the best_ at games~” Deranged golden eyes sparkle behind messy red hair.

“…S-sorry if I distracted you from your work Luciel…” Yoosung manages to say quietly.

Luciel’s manic grin instantly disappears. Golden eyes turn cold like piercing metal. He tightens his grip on Yoosung’s wrists.

“Yeah. I’m busy. **So, stop being annoying** _and quit bothering me with your nonsense_,” sneered Luciel. His glare was intense.

Yoosung glances towards the others for help, but they do not respond towards the situation.

Footsteps.

A man with beautiful mint-colored hair walks gracefully into view. With a perfect charming smile and serene face, he looks angelic in his white robe.

Luciel releases Yoosung and spins around to bow his head before the Savior.

“For eternal paradise, my Savior.”

He is met with a gentle smile. “For eternal paradise. Luciel, you weren’t messing with Yoosung again, were you?” Mint eyes express concern.

“Haha. Not at all~ I was only playing around to cheer him up, my Savior!” Luciel looks up from his bowed head to give a look of admiration and feigned innocence.

The Savior chuckles and shakes his head. “Of course. But hello everyone, forgive me since I was busy with many things. Let’s start the meeting, shall we?”

♥♥♥

“I know this is crazy, but do you think you could help us?”

Coffee shop music plays softly in the background and mixes with the sounds of light chatter from other customers. Both drinks remain untouched.

MC stares incredulously at the young man asking her this question. Not only was the request extremely odd, but the man seemed quite unordinary himself. She finally takes a sip of her coffee. The temperature was just right.

“Sorry, I know this is asking a lot, but I’ve seen you at community events, and you are really good with people! All you have to do is join them, chat and get to know them, and report back to us what they are doing,” pleaded the young man.

She took a moment to inspect him further. He had slightly messy snow-white hair with some signs of …pink? maybe red? He had blue eyes with contacts. Dark circles under his eyes implied he was clearly dealing with something that was keeping him up late at night.

She is suspicious, but from their interaction so far, she could already tell that he was a sweet sincere kind of guy. Before answering his request however, she had her own things to say as well.

“Hmm well, it’s true that I volunteer a lot, but this seems really… strange… and shady, if I’m honest.” MC tucks some of her long brown hair behind her ear. “Isn’t this dangerous?”

She is met with a solemn, understanding look. They were pretty warm, coming from blue eyes. “I promise that I will protect you. Given that your people skills are as good as I think they are though, I’m pretty sure you won’t be in any danger. All you have to say is that Rika sent you to help, and you should be alright.” He sighs.

“I know it’s a bit shady, but if it helps, we will know your location at all times and…” He coughs. “…I’m a pretty good hacker with some experience in field work, so I can come and rescue you anytime. I would go myself, but Rika speculates that it isn’t time for me to interfere yet, and besides… I would be recognized.” He says the last part quietly.

_Ah, so this is what this was, _she realized. She thought she had put her agent work behind her. _So, this hacker found out about my past and needs my skills, so he is threatening to expose me, isn’t he? I suppose I have no choice… _She sighs, defeated.

“Hey. I know what you’re thinking. I’m not threatening you— I promise.” The man’s eyes turn intense but were still oddly comforting. MC also sensed something else… sadness? “I just want to save someone important to me. You don’t have to help us, but you have the skills we need, that’s all. Plus, I know you are a good person. Sorry for stalking you.” He clears his throat.

“As a gesture of trust, my real name is Saeran Choi. Please think about it.”

The shock on MC’s face was evident, and she barely stifled a gasp. His real name? She could read people, it was one of her skills, and he didn’t look like he was lying. If he wasn’t lying, then he was putting himself on the line. She hadn’t even agreed to help them yet! Perhaps this was going to be interesting.

MC smiles. She knew she has a soft spot for this kind of sincerity, and she hoped that she was reading him correctly.

“Thank you Saeran. I want to help if I can.”

♥♥♥

The ME executives have a casual discussion in their private chat when a stranger enters the chatroom.

!?

Luciel’s cold eyes glare at the intruder in their chatroom. _Excuse me?_

He immediately runs a background check on her, just as the Savior calls to tell him to do so. The intruder seems to be a young woman named MC. Nothing notable comes up. She’s a normal girl who is registered with some volunteer associations. Luciel squints his eyes. With some further work he also fails to find any trace of a hacker.

_How has this “normal” girl found her way into our paradise?_

She seems clueless on how she entered this chatroom, but she said she was just given this app on her phone and was told to come here.

…_HERE, here?? _Luciel turns to the security cameras and sure enough, this adorable girl with long brown hair in a chestnut sweater is standing outside the Magenta building.

Then she says something interesting. She says Rika sent her.

_Our late Founder?! _Everyone is shocked upon hearing her name.

She continues to say she was a bit late, but Rika had invited her some time ago, and she was not able to come until now. Rika had asked her to be party coordinator and help with recruitment.

The Savior tells Luciel to let her in.

Luciel’s mind was spinning. The late Founder had not said anything about this to any of them before. Additionally, did this girl not know about the Founder’s passing?

_ALSO, who just comes to a strange place that she knows nothing about? _Luciel smirks in amusement. _What a weird girl…_

After some discussion and chatting, the Savior fully accepts the girl. Wanting to respect Rika’s wishes, he gives her an executive position. She could help with event planning if she wanted, but for now since she was new, she would have to adapt to this place and understand how things work here.

* * *

**ME chatroom:**

**Savior: Since this was our beloved Founder’s wish, I hope that you all come to trust her and treat her as our own.**

Some of the members feel skeptical but respect the Savior, nonetheless. Luciel is the first to respond.

**Luciel: As you wish, my Savior!**

**Savior: Thank you. There are some things I must attend to. For eternal paradise.**

**-Savior left the chatroom-**

**Luciel: Welcome to eternal paradise, MC~ It’ll be so fun with you here!**

**MC: Aw, thank you Luciel! You’re so kind!**

_Kind?! _Luciel stares blankly at the message and turns to look at MC through the camera.

**Luciel: Wah!! A compliment from a princess ** **♥w♥**

He sees MC giggle at his comment. _Ugh, she is seriously weird._

**Zen: Haha. Don’t mind Luciel too much. He’s a bit weird. You can always talk to me whenever you want dear~ I’m the one who keeps the morale up around here since I’m an actor, and I’m very kind to everyone~**

Through the cameras, Zen is seen fixing his long white hair, and Luciel scoffs at his comment.

**MC: haha… ok thanks Zen**

For some reason Luciel is relieved by this response.

**Luciel: hehehe well**

**Luciel: I’m**

**Luciel: going to be**

**Luciel: the FIRST**

**Luciel: on the welcoming committee!! Wait for me MC, I wanna meet you first ** **♥**

**MC: I’ll be waiting for you my prince ** **♥**

_…Wow no one ever plays along with me, _Luciel thinks as he skips over to where MC is.

**Jumin: Welcome, MC.**

**Jaehee: Welcome, MC. Mr. Han and I hope that you will be a useful asset to our paradise. We wish to see good things from you.**

**MC: Thank you both for the welcome!**

**MC: “Mr. Han”?**

**Yoosung: Welcome, MC! I hope we can all get along with you!**

**Yoosung: Oh, Jaehee used to work as Jumin’s assistant in his company, so she still calls him that! lol**

**Jaehee: It’s more comfortable for me, with all due respect.**

**Jumin: It’s all the same to me. I don’t mind either way.**

**MC: I see, Mr. Han!**

**Jumin: I changed my mind; I would prefer Jumin.**

MC chuckles at his comment. She sits comfortably on a chair in what seems to be the lobby of the building. _Odd though, for cultists they seem like normal people. At least for now…_

“They’re so funny right!?” A voice enthusiastically squeals behind her, taking MC by surprise.

She turns around to see a tall redhead with yellow and black rimmed glasses. Very characteristic. He wears a fitted black suit with a red rose at the front, as well as a wide goofy smile on his face.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you MC!” Luciel smiles sweetly. “I’m Luciel. Allow me to lead you to your room~”

MC nods and follows behind him. Though she’s never met him before, she recognizes his face.

_Saeran’s “someone important”. His red hair is the same as the photo Saeran had shown me, but the glasses are new. _That wasn’t what made her recognize him though.

_His smile is the same as when he was a boy._

_But his eyes…_ MC shudders.

She lifts her head up while walking to look at the young man leading her. He turns his head to make sure she has no trouble following. Their eyes meet. He smiles and turns to face forward.

_How do you have a charming smile with… such scary eyes?_

MC figures this won’t be as simple as she hoped it would be.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm sorry for what I'm doing/going to do to our precious characters... I'm sorry to make our good boys (and girl) bad. The concept is that I want the RFA members to have their negative traits be more prominent in their ME versions, and Saeran & Rika are able to live "normally."


	2. Beginning

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC has a chat with the Savior and gets her phone checked.

The door swings open to a large room. It is lightly furnished; a bed, a desk, and a nightstand make for cozy arrangements. A large window is propped slightly open, just enough for a bit of the late afternoon breeze to cause the long curtains to billow softly in the room. There is also a man waiting for them.

“For eternal paradise, my Savior.” Luciel bows his head.

Following suit, MC straightens herself and bows her head respectfully.

“Oh, no need to bow! Luciel insists on doing it even though none of the other executives do.” The Savior chuckles and waves his hand at them. “But Luciel, I would like to speak to MC privately.”

“As you wish, my Savior~” Luciel gives a MC a smile. “See you again MC. For eternal paradise.” He turns and shuts the door behind him.

“For eternal paradise,” MC responds as the door shuts. She turns to face the Savior.

He has mint colored hair and eyes; it is unique and somewhat mesmerizing. _Figures that he is the Savior of this place._ MC stands patiently, waiting for the Savior to begin.

He chuckles. “It’s a bit cheesy isn’t it? That our organization is called Mint Eye, and I have mint eyes? I hope you don’t judge me too much for that- I didn’t come up with the name.” He looks down, as though remembering something. He wears a somber smile.

MC is a bit taken aback. She expected more of a …stronger presence from the leader of this cult. She waits for him to continue.

“Rika, the woman who asked you to come here, what is her relationship to you?” Genuine curiosity emits from him. As well as some concern. There is a bit of silence between them.

_Saeran told me that I must be as clueless as possible. Not that I have to act that much… I really don’t know anything that’s going on, _MC ponders.

“I’m sorry, my Savior. I don’t know much about her. We met at a community event and we got along very well. She told me that she was running her own organization here that was supposed to help create true happiness, so she suggested I come and help.” _Mostly the truth. “_But that was some time ago. She told me that I would always be welcome when I wanted to come, so here I am!”

The Savior winces a little bit. He fidgets with his hands. “MC… you seem like a sweet girl. We do want to create paradise here, but you shouldn’t just come to strange places. Usually we do our own recruiting as well, so it’s a bit unorthodox for you to come here like this…”

“Oh, don’t worry! As long as you want to create paradise, I want to help! And I _was_ recruited!! By Rika. I chose to come here, after all!” She exclaims. A determined look on her face sets the Savior’s worry at ease. “I will not judge your methods. I am very open-minded and want to help everyone I can.” _Again, mostly true._

A sigh of relief escapes the Savior. “Very well then. I can see that you have good intentions.” His eyes meet hers, and his expression turns solemn. “I must tell you though. Rika was our Founder, but she passed away half a year ago. I’m sorry that she missed your arrival.”

This took MC by surprise. However, the Savior was scrutinizing her reaction; she didn't let it show on her face.

_He is trying to find out my true relationship to Rika. I’m not going to give away that I know she’s alive._

Since Saeran explained _some_ of the situation to her, she knew that this man V, the Savior, was Rika’s ex-fiancée. But he thinks she’s dead? Or he just wants everyone to think she is? MC still couldn’t quite wrap her head around it, but she assumed it would start to make sense when she learned more about everyone. For now, she had to play along.

“Oh! I’m deeply sorry for your loss… She seemed like a very good person. I apologize that my arrival was untimely…” MC looks to the ground with a saddened expression.

“No, no! Don’t apologize! She would have been happy for you to be here,” The Savior insists. “I’m sorry to have dampened the mood; your arrival should be a happy moment!” He smiles and heads to the door after giving MC a warm handshake and one of his winning smiles.

“I’m sorry if I was a bit nosy, I was just curious. I’m happy for you to join us! I care deeply about all of my disciples, and that includes you now.” The Savior gives a polite bow. “Please let me know if you need anything, or if you ever need to talk. I am here to serve everyone. Feel free to explore the building as you wish. Have a peaceful night MC.” He gives a final sweet smile before closing the door behind him.

MC stands mesmerized for a bit. She’s impressed. She almost didn’t notice that he just made a smooth escape the second things got a bit somber. Though she was just playing along. She starts to unpack her things, while also unpacking her thoughts.

_The Savior seems to be the kind of person who doesn’t like conflict. He also doesn’t seem intimidating or authoritative… does he really just rule this place with honeyed words? And what even happened between Rika and him? _She shrugs. Time will reveal all.

♥♥♥

_Rika, what are you thinking?_

V lies on his bed, and he looks out the window. He sighs.

_I made this paradise with you my love. Why did you leave me? _He thinks this every night, almost like a prayer.

_I’ll continue your work Rika. Maybe you want me to save the people here, while you save people out there._

V thinks about his brief conversation with MC. He wonders which Rika she met. Did she meet her while they were still together? But then he knew that Rika would’ve told him if she found someone as kind as MC. Rika loved telling V about everything she did, and he loved hearing about it.

But then did she meet Rika recently? The new Rika? Why would she have sent MC here if it was the new Rika? He knew she hated this place now, though V doesn’t understand what he did wrong.

_The new Rika wouldn’t send anyone here… _

_Oh? _V plays with a hopeful thought. _Maybe she’s thinking of coming back? Did she send MC as a spy?_

But then MC looked so sad hearing that Rika was no longer here.

V rolls around in bed, lost in thought.

_I don’t understand. For now, I’ll play along my love. She may be a spy, but she could just be someone you had wanted to recruit to Mint Eye. Either way, I trust you even if you must be planning something. You always know what’s best._

_♥♥♥_

There’s a knock on the door as MC finishes packing.

“MC! Your prince is here! May I come in?”

A grinning face meets MC as she opens the door. The redhead does an exaggerated show of a bow.

“Wow! Are you telepathic?? You came _just_ as I finished packing!” MC gasps. “Maybe our souls are connected??” Her hands cover her mouth to exhibit playful shock.

Luciel looks sheepish for a second as his eyes flicker to the southwest corner of the room.

_Ah. There’s a camera._

“My soul was wandering the building when it heard you call out to him! So of course, I came~” He giggles. “But actually, I must see your phone.” He holds his hand out to her.

MC saw this coming. She hands it off to him, hoping Saeran does indeed know what he’s doing.

Luciel messes with the phone a bit. He makes small talk while doing so.

“I never knew that I would get to meet a princess in real life!” He flips her phone over and takes off the back and inspects the hardware.

“Will you rescue me, if I get into any trouble?” MC pouts cutely at him.

“Haha. Well I’m in charge of security, so of course I will!” He puts her phone back together and starts looking through the files. His hands stop. “But we are in paradise. Why would anything bad happen? Do you know something?” Luciel looks up with cold eyes.

MC found the sudden tone change disconcerting. But she wasn’t going to be phased.

“Well… I guess I did come somewhere completely new…” she says innocently.

“That was your choice wasn’t it?” His glare continues.

“Aww don’t be mean. Can you blame me for being curious?” MC smiles sweetly and sways in place.

_I can blame you for being stupid,_ Luciel thinks. He frowns. He looks down again and does some more work on the phone.

“Hmm well, I would’ve done the same thing!!” His eyes sparkle and his grin suddenly returns. “I’m always curious about things too~ So, don’t worry MC! I’ll protect you!”

Okay, she was maybe a _little _rattled by the sudden change in tone.

He hands her phone back. “All done! I hope you understand. If you want to commit to being in our group, you should take some time away from the outside world~ But you can always chat with the other executives, and I hope you do!” Luciel smiles.

As MC tucks her phone into her back pocket, she feels it vibrate.

“By the way, MC. If anything strange is happening, let me know okay?” For a second, Luciel’s eyes weren’t so scary. She felt the genuine concern.

“Don’t get yourself into trouble.” _Never mind, that was a warning._

Luciel leaves and closes the door behind him. His smile disappears. Was something going to happen? He goes back to the computer lab.

MC glances at the southwestern corner of the room to confirm something for herself and sees the camera. For now, she will have to pretend she doesn’t see it.

She checks her phone. _Oh, thank goodness. _There’s a private message through the app.

* * *

**Saeran: Don’t worry. You’re the only one who can see my messages. I’m texting you to reassure you I’m still here after he checked your phone.**

**MC: Bless! You really are skilled Saeran! I was scared for a second.**

**Saeran: Haha thanks. How does my target seem? Is he okay?**

**MC: Hmm. Well, he seems physically healthy…**

**Saeran: Thank goodness, at least!**

**Saeran: I won’t bother you much. You’re doing great. Btw I’m watching you through the same camera. Check in with you later, MC.**

Ah, the sigh of relief. MC lies on the bed and looks outside. She really got herself into trouble, didn’t she? She smiles for a moment, amused at herself and her life choices, but it soon fades.

_Hmmm. Luciel does seem physically healthy, so that wasn’t a lie._ She still couldn’t help but feel guilty. Well, she shouldn’t cause unnecessary concern because it was too soon to tell whether something concerning was going on.

She sits up. It was dark, but the night was still young. Hmm. MC decided it was probably best to sleep early so she could spend the whole day tomorrow to do some exploring!

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed the story so far!  
I am a few chapters ahead, but as I write, I like to go back and make sure the continuity is alright~ I'll be updating soon!


	3. A Tour

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC takes a tour of Magenta! She gets to meet all the Mint Eye executives in person.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This one is a bit of a long one!

MC glides out the room and closes the door behind her. Sunlight shines through the half-covered window.

_It’s a cozy room. At least I know she can sleep comfortably._

Saeran leans back in his chair and sighs in relief. It was a good call to be watching intently; he had been ready and was able to quickly erase his presence on the phone and return before making MC panic.

He gets up to step out of his office for a second and decides to water some of his indoor plants. He goes to the kitchen to make a sandwich first and munches on it while watering his plants. He hears his front door unlock.

Saeran didn’t expect any visitors. Placing the sandwich and water down quickly- and quietly- he slinks behind the nearest wall with his hand on his hip. The door has his full focus.

“Lily of the valley,” a familiar voice says as they open the door.

Saeran relaxes. “Vanderwood you really should just let me know when you are coming. You scared me!” He emerges from the wall to greet his partner. “Would you like some water? Or a sandwich?” Saeran turns back to get his sandwich. Thank goodness he didn’t have to abandon it for long.

Vanderwood shakes his head. “Would I even be checking on you properly if you knew I was coming? If you were anyone else, you would just pretend to work.”

Saeran shrugs. “Well, you know me. I’ve got nothing to hide.” He finishes watering his plants. “So, is it a no on the sandwich?”

“No, thanks.” Vanderwood inspects Saeran’s bunker. It is neat and clean. Pretty minimalistic in terms of furniture, but there are a ton of plants.

“Are you looking for something? Or do you need something?” Saeran raises an eyebrow at Vanderwood eyeing all his stuff.

“Sometimes I just wonder why I am even assigned to you sometimes. You always get your work done and you live like a normal person. I can’t imagine how much more annoying my job would be if you were some weird slob.” Vanderwood plops down on the couch. “I’m just stopping by for the report. No rush, I just know you usually get it done early so I figured I’d check.”

Saeran goes to his office and opens his desk drawer to take out a set of papers.

“You act like hackers are predictable people,” Saeran chuckles as he hands the report to Vanderwood, still sitting on the couch. “But you aren’t wrong: here’s the report. Turn it in on time though; I don’t want the boss to give me shorter deadlines.”

Vanderwood hums in approval and tucks the paperwork into his case.

“Also, they send you to make sure that I keep _staying_ predictable. Don’t play coy. The boss knows I’m a nice guy, but he also knows I am a huge liability.” Saeran leans forward on the couch, next to his partner. “Well, this situation works well for me, so I have no reason to betray anyone. He has to let me do what I want in fear of that.” His mouth curls into a mischievous smile.

“Oh please, even I know the boy with that smile is harmless! When he isn’t ordered to be otherwise, at least.” Vanderwood gets up from the couch and heads to the door. “Maybe I just like checking on you out of nostalgia from seeing you grow up?”

“Hah. Jokes don’t suit you.”

Vanderwood gives him a sad smile. “You should give me more credit than that! I hid your secret of a normal life and side activities in the beginning, didn’t I?”

Saeran just smiles at him.

“Speaking of side activities, let me know if you need help alright? I know you and Rika started some infiltration mission. You’ve done a lot for me when I was in trouble.” He coughs. “So, it’s the least I can do if you need backup.” Vanderwood awkwardly gives him a thumbs up.

“Don’t get sentimental on me!” Saeran chuckles and give his partner a wave. “But thank you, I’ll keep it in mind.”

Saeran heads back to his office but stops on the top stair. “Also, if you came for the gossip on the infiltration, I’ll fill you in on it later. See you around.” He hears the door close.

Vanderwood clicks his tongue outside the door. That boy is always up to juicy things and is so stingy with the drama! He was thankful that Saeran made their job easy, but then there wasn’t always much to do.

Welp, he had a few days to kill before he had to turn in this report.

♥♥♥

“There you are princess~ Good morning!”

MC is surprised to run into someone familiar so quickly. She had only taken a few steps down the hall before she ran into Zen. MC recognized him from the selfies he sent in the chat earlier, but she was surprised to see he was more handsome in person. He looked elegant in his white blazer.

Zen bows. “Sorry if I surprised you right now, I know my level of beauty can be quite shocking.” He runs a hand through his white hair. MC holds back from rolling her eyes. “I was just on my way to your room actually- I wanted to give you a quick tour of Magenta.”

“Oh! That would be so helpful!” MC skips over to his side and looks up at him. “Thank you, Zen! Where are you taking me first?”

_Ah, she’s so cute._

Zen shifts a bit. “Ah, well, just letting you know I’ll only be showing you a few things before I hand you off to another exec.” He winks. “So, let’s make the most of our time together~”

“Haha. Alright Zen, for sure.” MC chuckles and shakes her head. She doesn’t mind playing along as long it doesn’t go to his head too much. Unless it already has.

They walk down the hall as Zen starts explaining.

“This floor is mainly a residential area. It’s the exec area, specifically.” He gestures at the width of the hall. “Since the rooms are so large, the hallway actually divides the rooms. So, you don’t have to worry about privacy; no one is really too close to your room. To be honest, besides your bedroom, which is usually a guest room, everyone’s rooms are more like apartments, it’s pretty impressive actually…” MC mentally takes note of everything as Zen rambles. She nods in response every now and again.

_All the execs are close by to where I stay. We are all on the 3rd floor. Down the hall, Jumin and Jaehee are across the hall from each other. Further down is Yoosung and Zen. Jumin, Zen and I are rooms that face the garden; Jaehee and Yoosung have rooms that face the front of the building. Around the corner is Luciel’s room, although apparently, he mainly stays in the computer lab…_

_The Savior does have a main room on this floor, but he prefers to sleep in guest rooms throughout Magenta. He doesn’t really stay put anywhere._

_The second floor is full of believers’ rooms. The first floor is where the dining area, the lounge, other multipurpose rooms, and the computer lab is. There is also a basement._

It doesn’t seem too hard for MC to memorize this much. She nods.

“Wow, your focused face is so cute! Are you really trying to remember everything I’m telling you right now?” Zen is staring at her. “Or are you thinking about something else while I’m with you?” Another playful wink.

MC just smiles as Zen starts talking again. “Well, no need to think so hard! You can always ask any of us for help if you get lost or need anything.” He leans closer to her while they walk. “Although, I would prefer if you ask me anything first~ I’m actually in charge of recruitment here, so I know a lot about Magenta, and I’ll be able to take care of anything you need~” He tilts his face to MC’s cheek to give her a peck.

MC smoothly dodges it and giggles. “Oh, you are so sweet Zen! I’ll keep you in mind first~” She puts her hands to her cheeks, pretending as though she was blushing. Zen chuckles, attempting to play off that he really tried to do that just now.

_First? It’d be nice if I was the only one. _They continue walking as they approach the set of stairs at the end of the hall. Where his room was.

_Be a gentleman, Zen! We just met! Contain the beast, contain the beast…_

“My room is right here, MC~ Would you like to come in and take a look for a moment~?” His deep red eyes look a bit hungry. MC isn’t sure if it’s a good idea to play along with this. In fact, she’s sure it’s a bad idea.

“Ahem.” A young man with neat blond hair is waiting for them at the top of the stairs. He wears a light blue suit with a cute yellow bowtie.

“It’s a shame, but I believe I am allowing Yoosung to show you the second floor.” He gestures towards the young man.

Yoosung gives a little wave to MC. “Hi MC! I’m Yoosung; we chatted a bit on the messenger earlier~”

“Be sure to be a gentleman,” Zen whispers to him.

He turns to MC briefly before turning to leave. “Let's spend more time together next time, MC. For eternal paradise.” He then walks away towards the direction of his room.

“After you, MC! Watch your step.” Yoosung let’s MC walk ahead of him, down the steps. The second floor seemed to have a similar layout as the third.

“I’m sure Zen told you, but the Mint Eye believers reside on this floor. There are guest rooms throughout the whole building, but many of them are here. There’s also a medical ward area on this floor.”

They walk down the hall. The rooms are closer together, but do not seem much smaller than her own.

“I was probably asked to walk you through this area since I spend the most time with the believers.” Yoosung walks with his hands behind his back. “Our Founder convinced me to go to college: I’m actually a pre-medical student, though you won’t see me at school very much. I like playing with the believers more haha.”

MC perks up at the telltale phrasing. “Playing?”

“Yeah~! Well I’m kind of the acting doctor around here, so I’m probably closest to the believers besides the Savior, but I can tell you more about that later!” The knowing grin on his face is a bit creepy. Down the hall, MC sees two robed figures approaching them.

“I’d like to play with you, Yoosung!” exclaims MC. She gauges his reaction.

“O-oh haha…” he blushes. “Sure MC! I know a lot of different games. Maybe we can play dress up!”

_Dress up? He's like a child. Although I’m sure when he “plays” with the believers he isn’t so innocent…_

The individuals in black robes pass by the pair quickly. “For eternal paradise.”

Yoosung turns and calls out to them with a singsong voice, “Excuse me you two~”

They freeze in their tracks. MC can feel their dread. The believers turn slowly and approach Yoosung cautiously.

They bow towards the young man. “Y-yes sir?”

“How are you both? Are you doing well?”

“Yes sir!” They nod. “Thank you for your kindness!”

Yoosung squints at them and MC wasn’t sure if she just imagined them shivering or if they really did. He frowns.

“Should I test you both in the basement to make sure? Why are you both shivering? Are you ill?”

_Is that what happens in the basement?_

The disciples seem hesitant on how to respond. Growing agitation is evident on Yoosung’s face.

MC decides it’s a good time to interfere. “Yoosung~ They seem healthy to me! Show me where you do your work- I want to see it!” She grabs his arm, holding him close to her, and smiles at him.

“Oh! Haha! I-uh- well!” he stammers. His cheeks go red.

“For eternal paradise!” MC exclaims to the disciples. She drags Yoosung and waves them away.

They nod gratefully and take their leave.

Yoosung’s head is spinning while they walk down the hall. MC’s hugging his arm and leaning on him while humming quietly.

_If I had a girlfriend, would this be what it’s like?? _Yoosung gulps nervously, not knowing what to say.

“…aha ha.” He awkwardly straightens his hair with his free arm. His face is still very red.

_Hm? Maybe he really is that innocent? _MC feels a bit guilty making him uncomfortable, but she had to do what she had to do to rescue those poor believers. Her thoughts trail on. _But assuming Yoosung isn’t the only one torturing these poor souls, it won’t be possible for me to be able to do this for everyone…_

She absent-mindedly let go of Yoosung’s arm. _Oh whoops, I mean that probably seemed natural-_

As she let go, Yoosung quickly grabs one of her wrists. He pulls her towards him. MC yelps a bit in surprise.

Their faces are only inches apart.

“Hey MC… you don’t hold other guys like that, do you?” He looks at her with wide violet eyes. MC was taken off guard and hesitated to respond.

_You idiot!! You’re scaring her! That did not come out romantic at all! _Yoosung lets go of MC and his demeanor completely changes.

“Oh-! I mean- I like it when you, uh, hold _me_ like that, is all!!” Yoosung starts frantically making hand motions. His eyes nervously dart around the room. “I wasn’t trying to tell y-you what to do or anything!! You can do whatever you want hehe~” He stops squirming to wait for MC’s response.

MC is still staring at him blankly. _Uhh… so am I sorry or am I not sorry?? Wait, what was I apologizing for? _She decides to go with an apologetic smile.

“Sorry if I made you nervous,” she says. “That was too much of me, I won’t do it again. Let’s keep walking, shall we?” She starts to walk again, and Yoosung follows.

_Nooooooooooooooooo… _Yoosung dies a bit inside, embarrassed of his behavior. _I totally scared her… That was not cute of me..._

He pouts for a bit, but eventually returns the apologetic smile. “Sorry, I can be a bit sensitive sometimes! I hope you don’t think I’m not manly enough… Uh, anyway, here’s where the medical ward is!” He opens a larger door at the end of the hall and steps to the side to let MC enter. She steps around the room, a look of curious wonder on her face.

Inside were a few cluttered counter tops, a few clean counter tops, and roughly ten plain twin-size beds covered in white sheets, each with an accompanying night stand. There’s a large window at the end of the area overlooking the garden. Based on the view, MC notes that this room may be below her own.

On a few of the messy counter tops sit bottles of labelled chemicals as well as glass flasks and vials of various shapes and sizes. One of the tables is covered in loose papers with notes scribbled all over. Another has typical medical equipment that you would expect: a stethoscope, tongue depressor, hand towels, gauze, scissors, scalpels, syringes…

Yoosung watches MC explore the room as he picks up a scalpel and turns it over in his hands. _Why is my heart beating like this?_

He bites his lip with an amused face._ I wonder if I cut her open, would her heart be beating hard like mine?_

Well, MC’s heart _did_ drop a little seeing him pick up a scalpel with that look on his face. Still distracted in his thoughts while he played with the scalpel, MC noted that Yoosung stood between her and the door. She prepared herself to act quickly.

A few knocks come from the door. Yoosung puts down the scalpel and turns to the door. “Ah, that must be Jaehee~!”

MC sighs in relief. A serious looking woman with short brown hair and glasses enters the room. She wears a black blazer over a white shirt, a pencil skirt over stockings, and black pumps: she wears it like a natural business woman.

She extends an arm out to MC. “Hello, I am Jaehee. I assist both Mr. Han and the Savior to make sure that Mint Eye operates smoothly. I just do some organizational and supervisory tasks and help with the budget and schedule of activities and events.” That was a lot of “and’s.” MC is surprised that she says it all so modestly, despite clearly being overworked.

“You must do a lot around here Jaehee; I’m sure everyone appreciates your hard work!”

Jaehee just smiles. “Well, at least a lot of my duties are behind the scenes, so I am not required to do much else once I have finished my tasks.”

_Uhh, well you have a lot of tasks to begin with._

“Jaehee is so cool! She does everything perfectly, that’s why she’s got so much on her shoulders!” exclaims Yoosung, giving Jaehee a pat on the back.

Her eye twitches at his comment while she holds her smile. “And _this one_ doesn’t have to do much because he _should_ be at school,” Jaehee quips.

Yoosung jumps a bit in the response and starts edging towards the door. “Oh! Would you look at the time, I think might be missing a meeting in the basement! See you two! For eternal paradise!” Yoosung quickly scuttles out of the room, and his footsteps continue their pace until they are no longer heard.

Jaehee sighs. “Well, I hope that you adjust well here MC! It’s nice to have another girl as an exec.” She smiles. They head out the room and down another set of stairs.

Jaehee starts by listing off all the different facilities on the floor and shows her the dining area.

“Everyone eats here as they wish. We have our own chef and nutritionist to make sure that everyone is having a balanced meal when they are allowed to.” Jaehee allows MC a moment to look around.

MC notes that last part.

“The executives can have their meals delivered to their rooms but are also welcome to eat here with the believers. Yoosung and the Savior are normally the only ones who are willing to eat here though, the rest of us prefer our privacy, and Zen doesn’t eat much.”

“I see.” MC’s stomach growls. It was almost lunch time.

“Oh! You haven’t eaten yet?” Jaehee is shocked that Zen and Yoosung have failed to ask. “Let’s grab something!”

They both grab a meal. Jaehee has a poppyseed muffin with slices of orange and some coffee, and MC has some toast with a veggie omelet and coffee. Jaehee looks over documents while eating, and MC is amused by the sight.

“Jaehee, you’re always working, aren’t you?” She teases.

“Haha well if I want to rest tonight, then I don’t have time to lose, right? Besides, we are just eating~” She turns back to her documents. “Thank you for your concern. Do you like the food?”

“Oh yeah! It’s great! Thanks for noticing I was hungry!”

“I am to be everyone’s support, so I should notice these things.” She takes a bite of her muffin.

Sheesh. MC rolls her eyes while Jaehee is distracted. She really cannot take a compliment no matter which way it’s thrown at her. Though, Jaehee is really great company for someone who is so busy. It_ is_ nice to have another girl.

They continue to have a peaceful meal with a bit of small talk before MC is ready to do more exploring. Jaehee nods and they continue their chat as they walk. Eventually, the two find themselves in front of an odd metal door.

“This is the computer lab. You can find Luciel here… almost always. People come in and out at times to bring him food, take his reports, or supervise. The execs visit as necessary. He has a lot of work, so he does not enjoy being distracted.”

_Does he enjoy staying in this room or is he trapped?_

“I would bring us in to say hello but given that he probably _knows_ we are standing here, and he hasn’t brought himself out means that he does not want to be bothered at the moment. However, you will see him on the messenger here and there to take a break with a bit of antics.”

The women’s phones vibrate. Jaehee sighs.

“Go ahead and check your phone MC,” she says with an unamused look on her face.

* * *

**ME chatroom:**

**Luciel: [It’s a picture of Jaehee and MC outside the metal door.]**

**Luciel: Dun dun!**

**Luciel: Am I about to be ambushed by two scary women??**

**Luciel: Please! I promise the slave is working his hardest T_T**

**MC: OMG are you stalking me? My biggest fan ** **♥**

**Luciel: Can I have your autograph ** **♥ _Sign my chest_ ♥**

**Jaehee: MC, please don’t encourage this;;**

**Jaehee: Are you working Luciel? We are leaving now.**

**Luciel: DON’T LEAVE ME T_T**

**-Jaehee left the chatroom-**

**MC: Fare thee well, my prince~**

**Luciel: Don’t forget me T_T**

**-MC left the chatroom-**

Jaehee looks confused, staring at MC giggling over the chatroom.

“You and Luciel make a good pair,” she observes aloud. She shakes her head. “Usually no one can understand that boy.”

MC blushes a little. Was she playing around too much?

“Let’s move on before Luciel actually comes out.” Jaehee leads her through the rest of the first floor, showing MC the other rooms and explaining the day-to-day life. MC suspects she wasn’t getting the full story, but she figured she would find out eventually.

Once the pair are in the lobby, Jaehee checks her watch, it must’ve been around mid-to-late afternoon. Her face drops.

“Hm? Jaehee?” MC inquires.

Jaehee starts hyperventilating, clutching her chest and falling to her knees. A set of folders are scattered on the floor.

“Jaehee!” MC kneels over her and holds her. “Put your arms over your head Jaehee!”

“N-No. It’s okay.” Jaehee manages to say. “I’m just taking a quick break, that’s all this is. I just still have so much work that I guess my body decided it needed a break.” She closes her eyes, but her breathing is still erratic.

Collapsing is taking a break?? MC understood that she worked too much, but this was a bit extreme…

“Do you need some elixir Jaehee?” A tall figure in a dark blue suit with jet black hair loomed over them. “You look weak.”

_Elixir?_

Jaehee’s eyes flutter open. She nods slowly. “Ah yes… that would help. I need some elixir…” She crawls out of MC’s embrace and is able to get up with her assistance. She picks up her folders with wobbling hands.

_I suppose it’s a kind of medicine? Energy drink?_

“I’m sorry you had to see that, MC,” she mumbles. Jaehee holds herself and is shaking. “Please do not be concerned, this happens very often, so it is normal for me. Coincidentally, it is time for me to hand you off to Mr. Han. I will look for Yoosung, then. For eternal paradise.” She stumbles a bit, so MC is a bit hesitant to let her go on her own, but Jaehee doesn’t fall. She walks slowly away from them.

MC silently looks to the man beside her. He’s looking at his watch, seemingly uninterested or unmoved by the situation.

“Good evening, we met on the messenger briefly; I am Jumin Han. Do not look so concerned. She said it was normal for her.” Jumin looks at MC blankly. “Jaehee does extensive and thorough work here at Magenta. It shows that she must be doing fine.”

Hmm. MC didn’t think that she really followed that logic, but okay.

“Well, alright. Hello Jumin, it is nice to meet you in person.” MC stands properly and sticks her hand out to him.

“I can respect a person who has the initiative for a handshake.” He shakes her hand firmly. “I was told that by the time I got to you, you should’ve taken a tour of the facility. I hope you found it well?” He crosses his arms.

“Yes, everything was very impressive, and I understand the overall layout.” MC feels like she is reporting to a boss.

“Good.” Jumin gestures to a pair of seats nearby. “Please, let’s have a seat.”

_Hm? Were they just going to chat?_

MC and Jumin choose their seat and sit across from each other. Jumin crosses his legs and puts his hands in his lap.

“Since you are deciding to join our organization, I should be the one to tell you what we do here. I fund this place, as well as our activities, and I am also in charge of… discipline.”

Silence. Did MC just see a sparkle in his eye when he said that?

“The Savior and I are childhood friends. We grew up together and when he and his late fiancée- my late friend- created this place, I helped him build it.” His lifts his arms upward, gesturing at this whole place.

“We brought people here to see what eternal happiness was like.” Jumin leans forward, inspecting MC’s face. “To give a summary of our methods, we encourage everyone to act and be as they wish to be.”

MC holds her expressionless face, so as not to seem intimidated or judgmental.

“If someone wants to be greedy, we let them. If they want to run around screaming, go ahead. If they want to be controlled so that they didn’t have to make decisions for themselves, then so be it…” The satisfaction on Jumin’s face almost makes MC shudder.

“The Savior just wants people to be happy. He encourages them to do whatever they want, to allow their darkest desires take hold over logic. The unfortunate souls sometimes beg for help. So, often the process gets moved along when we give the disciples a bit of help to loosen their minds…” Jumin pauses and looks at MC.

_Like drugs? Is that what the elixir is?_

Jumin is waiting for a response.

“Who knew that there would be a place that could understand and encourage what people truly want to be happy? With no judgment?” MC feigns wonder.

_With no sense of ethics or limits. They were forcing people to “embrace their deepest desires” by drugging them??_

“Yes!” Jumin seems pleased that MC understands. Perhaps he would not have to help her understand. “There was a time when I realized that all people had insecurities within them. The Savior and Founder helped me to realize that people should fuel their insecurity, and set their inner desires free.” Jumin sounded surprisingly passionate, but his eyes were empty.

_No, enabling destructive behavior was exactly how to make them hate themselves. Jumin seemed very intelligent and observant; maybe in another world he would have come to a different conclusion…_

“So how about you, MC? What do you desire?” MC snaps out of her inner philosophical ranting. Jumin leans back, expectedly.

“Hmm. This is a profound concept that I would have to think about. What about you Jumin?” She handed the conversation back to him.

“Well I disagree. It isn’t about thinking, it is about feeling.” He places his arms onto the sides of the chair. “That is what I desire, after all. To escape the cage of my mind and untangle these complicated feelings within me. I have restrained and pushed back my emotions for so long that I do not know how to deal with them.”

MC is taken aback. That was a surprisingly honest and deep self-analysis. Perhaps she had to give their beliefs a bit of credit if he was at least this self-aware. She doubts the others are aware, though.

“So now I let my emotions run freely. Though I still don’t feel much. However,” Jumin’s mouth curls into a slight smile. “would you be the person who could help me untangle these threads, MC?” He looks mesmerized, staring at her.

MC had let her guard down while lost in her thoughts, and she should have known better. Before she realized it, Jumin had an arm around her waist that pulled her to her feet, and another behind her head. He pressed his lips forcefully on hers.

MC was too shocked to struggle, and her heartbeat spiked.

Jumin broke the kiss but kept their faces close. His breathing was heavy. He stares into MC’s eyes intensely before letting go of her and taking a step back.

“I see. It was not your desire, I apologize.” He calmly sits back in his seat.

MC is still standing, a bit dazed. _That Jumin Han!!_ For some reason, she felt like that wasn't the first time someone cursed his name like that.

“I was only giving in to what I wanted. But part of what I want is to be wanted back, and I could see that you did not desire me.” He looks at his watch again.

“We still have some time. You are allowed to take your anger out on me, if you wish.” Jumin states. MC supposes it was an apology, but his apathetic expression was humiliating.

_What kind of power move… _MC’s blood boils. She would think about this later.

She slapped him in the face. Hard. His expression didn’t change- in fact, he started to smile a bit.

“I deserved it.” He shrugs. “Well, I hope that you forgive me with some time, and,” He adds. “I am pleased to see that you allowed yourself no restraint with your anger.” He gives her a coy look.

MC is beyond infuriated. She was upset that he forced himself on her like that, and she was frustrated and embarrassed with herself for letting her emotions get the best of her.

_I played right into his game!_ He had definitely hurt her pride. What did that last comment suggest? Jumin was smarter than she thought… could he read her??

MC wipes her face as angry tears form in her eyes. _Seriously?? The worst situation to be a mad crier, in an infiltration mission!!_

Jumin looks amused. “I’m sure you will come to understand us in time, MC.” He continues watching her anger swell with a smug look on his face.

A door slams in the distance. Loud footsteps approach the two, and the two turn to see who it is. Luciel is skipping over to them with a small smile and his eyes closed. His arms are swinging by his sides; he’s holding a stuffed cat.

“My princess~!” He sings.

Jumin frowns. “I believe _I_ am supposed to be the last to see her.” He starts to get up.

In a swift movement, cold metal slashes across Jumin’s left cheek. He stumbles back a step and holds his cheek to stop the bleeding. He glares at the insolent boy.

Luciel tucks his knife away. He smiles at Jumin.

**“Don’t make her cry.”**

MC is frozen in place. She starts thinking of what to do.

Luciel holds his smile for a moment before a scowl appears. _It’s bad enough that damn Jumin forced his kiss on her, but did he have to humiliate her and make her cry?_

“Hurt her or make her cry again, and I **swear** _I will rip your stupid cat apart in front of you while she screams.” _Luciel holds the stuffed cat to Jumin’s face and rips the head off. He throws the broken doll at Jumin’s face and laughs.

He turns to MC with sad eyes. “Aw… That stuffed kitty was for my princess. Look what you made me do Jumin.” He turns back to Jumin, still obviously furious.

“Why are you still here? Go play with your cat before I kidnap her,” sneers Luciel.

Despite all this, Jumin’s stoic face had remained unmoved. “I’ll see Yoosung and then head to my room. For eternal paradise.” He bows and walks away. Usually Jumin enjoys making people angry and watching them struggle to hold back, but Luciel was not fun. He doesn’t hold back.

The broken pieces of the doll were strewn on the floor. Luciel tsks at the mess and decides to ask some believers later to clean it up. He turns back to MC.

His face is painfully sad. _Was he really this sad to see me cry?_

“MC… don’t be sad… I’m sorry I didn’t come sooner- this is my fault.” He wipes her tears with his handkerchief. Luciel thinks for a bit.

_I shouldn’t have left my work like this since I have so much to do, but I couldn’t sit still when I saw him do this to you… after I said I would protect you…_

His face lights up. “Oh! I know something pretty I can show you! Will you come with me?” He extends his hands to MC.

Although MC understood at this point that everyone here probably had some deep issues that she would need to be wary of, she couldn’t help but feel a bit trusting towards this young man who was being considerate towards her. She took his hands.

Luciel squeaks a quick “Yay~!” and turns his head quickly as he leads her, hiding the visible heat that had covered his cheeks. _Why am I doing this…_

He leads her through one of the main hallways on the first floor towards the back of the building. When he opens the doors, they are surrounded by an abundance of rose bushes and practically a forest of various flowers- so colorful and plentiful! Flower petals cover the walkways like a beautifully designed carpet. The orange-pink sunset above them completed the scene.

Luciel points out flowers to MC and watches her eyes light up in amazement. They stroll around the garden chatting for hours, enjoying the peace and the cool night breeze before finding a bench to sit on.

Watching her made Luciel feel a tug at his heart. _I’m actually making someone happy…_

“Thank you Luciel,” the moonlight shines on her grin. “For someone tough in charge of security, you sure are a gentleman.”

She gulps. _Get a grip, MC! Don’t genuinely flirt with him! You are on a dangerous mission, don’t forget._

“It seems like I have successfully rescued the princess’s heart~” He waggles his eyebrows at her and leans back.

_Right. They are only joking…_

MC laughs and changes the subject. “I didn’t expect you to like flowers Luciel…”

“Oh. I don’t haha.” He smiles. MC sits up.

“Huh? I thought you told me you raised all these plants?”

“I did! I took good care of them too, don’t you think?” He waves his arms at the flowers around them. “Don’t get me wrong, I know most people think they are pretty, so I took you here because I was sure you would like them.”

“…then why don’t you like flowers?” MC feels like something is off.

It is silent for a bit between them. The cool breeze that felt relaxing now felt a bit chilly. It nipped on her face and arms. She shivers.

Luciel stands up and walks over to a set of bushes to look at the flowers closely. MC follows him with her eyes as she stays seated.

“Could you imagine a life where no matter how hard you tried, everything around you was ruined?” He breathes in the scent of a flower in front of him. “As though you were just born wrong.”

_Luciel…_

He continues. “Like, your parents hated you. Or you get abandoned by the one person you trust, the only person you had ever tried so hard for. I thought that I was the one protecting him, but he was only using me to defend himself. When he finally had a chance, he left me. I never left, even after I had so many chances to…what if he came back for me…”

MC didn’t know what Luciel was talking about, but it was clear that he had a complicated past, that someone had betrayed him. She would have to ask Saeran about it later. She checks her phone quickly and presses a few buttons and “2” before placing her phone back into her pocket.

“I had known only known abuse, anger, tears. What was happiness? Even now…” his eyes widen for a moment, and he glances around nervously. “When I was given a new life by my Savior, I thought that I could figure out what happiness was- that I could force myself to be happy.” He tenderly holds a blue rose in his hands.

“Someone I used to know was happy around flowers. So, I thought that if I grew them too, I would find out what the secret was.”

“…Did you find out?” MC asks after a pause.

Luciel smiles at the flower in his hands. “There is no secret.”

“I didn’t give in to my desire to leave when I should have, and I was left behind. It was simple. Maybe I just didn’t deserve happiness because of that weakness: not being able to make that decision, to give in to what I wanted.”

MC feels a pit in her stomach. This boy didn’t deserve to have a life like this. He shouldn’t have to live like this.

“Now these pitiful flowers just remind me of that person. These happy, beautiful, little flowers.” He picks the flower from the bush.

“They remind me of the pain I suffered my whole life.” He brings the flower to the front of MC.

He suddenly crushes the flower in his hand. MC gasps. The petals fall through his fingers, and he throws what’s left in his hand on the ground. Luciel turns towards the bushes again.

“Life is short, and I spent so much time miserable. I want to live my life to the fullest! Do whatever I want and go out with a BANG!” He turns back to look at MC. His eyes widen with the last word and he flashes his hands in front of him like fireworks.

“That’s why I keep growing flowers! To let them live beautiful lives and crush them before they wither away!” He grins.

MC gets up in horror as she notices that there were way too many flower petals on the ground to have been from falling naturally.

“Isn’t it so sad? The flowers that wait for something more, missing the peak of their life, and just withering away with so much regret?” He snaps another flower from a bush.

“To be honest, I think the pretty flowers just make me jealous! It’s silly isn’t it? I was the one who helped them grow! How do they have such a beautiful existence?” He smashes the flower with two hands, grinding a fist into the petals. MC starts to step away. He starts violently grabbing more flowers.

“Why do they get to leave their mark on the world while I suffer? Haha. But I’m being nice right? I save them from suffering! They don’t have to wither… they can just stay beautiful… until the end… none of them will be left behind.” He slowly stops his destructive rampage. There were only two flowers left in this bush.

He stares at a pair of red roses; one of them is slightly smaller than the other, but they looked almost identical. He picks the smaller one.

Luciel looks down. His gloves are ripped; the thorns from the rose bushes had cut not only the fabric but had left scratches on his hands as well. He tosses the smaller rose away from the garden.

His arms lower. Luciel slowly turns to MC, who was clearly mortified. He turns away, ashamed. His head hangs down towards the ground.

“I’m just a withered flower.” He says quietly to himself.

“Luciel…?” MC takes a step towards him.

“Stay away from me, MC.” Luciel steps back. “You’ve seen what I am now. I’m just a guy who destroys beautiful flowers. Beautiful flowers just like you.” He blushes despite himself, but he looks away before MC can see his tears. “Don’t pay attention to anything I say.” He says dismissively.

“For eternal paradise.” He whispers as he leaves MC in the garden.

_Luciel..._

MC looks at the small rose he tossed aside. She picks it up and looks at its dainty petals. She takes out her phone, presses “9”, and ends the call. Who knew that someone could have such complicated feelings towards flowers.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome to V's Mint Eye


	4. Transition

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC reports to Saeran and prepares for the next day's event.

MC is lying in bed with her phone hidden under her blanket. She closes her eyes and waits. Today had been a very enlightening day; she met all the exec members, spent some time with each of them, and found out that all of them were …a bit strange. MC imagines how they would be like in a different environment, away from Mint Eye and out of Magenta. Wouldn’t that be a much nicer world?

“Ok, MC, all clear. The camera is on a loop that will show you sleeping in bed.” Saeran’s voice comes from the phone.

“Thank you Saeran!” She shifts in bed and brings the phone to her face. “I was also told that the walls were not thin, but not soundproof. Luckily, the rooms are not really close together.”

“Noted.”

Silence. Her phone vibrates. It’s the ME Messenger; there must be activity in the chatroom. She’ll check it later. MC silences the notifications and focuses her attention back on the call.

MC turns over in bed again. “So, did you hear what I sent you?”

“Mhm.” He sounds tired.

MC waits. “…are you okay?”

More silence. MC quietly exhales. Maybe she shouldn’t have called Saeran for him to hear all of that.

“I’m sorry. I should’ve just reported it and summarized it for you. You didn’t have to hear it coming from him.”

She hears Saeran sigh. “No, it’s better this way. You probably would’ve sugar-coated it for me, and I wouldn’t have known he was really suffering this much.”

MC stays silent. There’s sniffling coming from Saeran’s end. “I don’t deserve to hear anything sugar-coated if these are his unadulterated feelings.”

“-Oh, d-don’t mind me, just having allergies.” Sniffling.

MC speaks up. “Well, do you need me to describe what happened when he wasn’t talking?”

“Mhm.”

“Okay…” MC hopes Saeran is bracing himself. “After he said that flowers remind him of the pain he suffered, he started crushing and destroying flowers with his hands. I think he was being serious when he said he would crush them before they wither.”

She pauses to give Saeran an opportunity to answer. Silence.

“He went into a frenzy and kept destroying them while talking until he suddenly started to slow his speech. He looked like he was suddenly dazed. Maybe he was remembering something? Or looking at something?” MC recalls. “Then he just picked a rose and tossed it on the ground. That was it. When I looked at the rose bush that he destroyed, he left a single rose in the bush, so I don’t know if there’s any meaning behind this… but since that was where he stopped, I’m sure it meant something to him. Does this mean anything to you?”

MC waits as she lets Saeran think. Or sink in that imagery.

“Maybe.” He replies. “Did the rose bush have many different colors?”

“Yeah. It was more like a mass of bushes rather than just one bush. So, the colors were mixed.”

“Hmm, must have been pretty,” Saeran mumbles. “The rose he tossed and the rose left- were they red? Despite there being a lot of different colors?”

“Hmm yeah, that’s right! I still have the smaller rose with me too.” She looks towards her nightstand and sees the lonely rose resting its petals on the wood.

“Smaller?”

“Mhm.”

“So… how do you know it was smaller?”

“Right, sorry!” She picks up the rose from the nightstand. “Well, when I saw the rose he left, I held up the rose he threw to compare if there was a difference or a reason why he might’ve thrown one or left the other.”

“And?”

“Well, they both looked fine to me. They were both in a good healthy condition, one wasn’t less aesthetic or anything. The only thing I could tell was that the one he threw was smaller.” She puts the rose back down on the nightstand. Maybe it _was _just a random occurrence; was she overanalyzing this?

Saeran feels heavy. He contemplates how much he should go into this, and how much he _wants_ to go into this. He already felt horrible hearing how Luciel felt. He felt even worse knowing that he couldn’t just go to him and clear this all up. Not yet, at least.

“Yeah. It meant something.”

_My instincts were right! Ok~ my skills didn’t get too rusty!_ MC behaves herself. She knows this isn’t really the appropriate time for thoughts like these.

“I can’t get into too many details, but we’re identical twins, if you didn’t notice.”

“WHAT?!” MC jumps up in bed.

“MC!” Saeran hisses.

“Sorry! sorry...” MC lowers her voice. “Why didn’t you tell me that in the beginning??”

“Well, you are supposed to be clueless on this mission, so I didn’t want you to give yourself away if you had too much info. It’s also a secret I have to hide in my own life, so I’m sorry that I can’t get into it right now,” explains Saeran. He lets this information settle.

MC pictures Luciel and Saeran in her head. “So, did you or Luciel dye their hair?”

Saeran laughs. “You are impossible.”

“It’s a legit question?” declares MC. She raises an eyebrow. “I do see it now though- now that you told me.”

“I bleached my hair. I have my own reasons why I can’t be recognized.”

_Like being a secret agent maybe? _MC chuckles. She doesn’t know why he doesn’t just say that since she already knows, but maybe he just said it out of habit.

“Anyways, I’m the younger twin. Does that clear up the analogy now?”

It does.

“…If it helps,” says MC. “he didn’t crush the smaller rose.”

Saeran sighs. “He probably wants to though.” He sits back in this chair and stares absentmindedly in the distance.

“Well, he didn’t. Not even while he was in a rage.” MC snuggles into her bedding, bringing more sheets around her. She looks again at the small rose on her nightstand.

Saeran stares at his computers. The glow from the screens in the dark room made him realize he was surrounded in darkness. He turns on the lights in his room before sitting back in his chair, phone to his ear. Saeran smiles. It did make him feel better. Perhaps there was still a chance to make this all right between them.

“Thank you, MC.”

“Of course.”

Saeran decides that he’s had enough of this topic for now. He had a lot to think about as it were. “If you don’t mind though, I would still like to hear the rest of the report.”

“Whoops! Of course!” MC’s smiles innocently.

Her smile doesn’t last long as she recalls her day to Saeran. It wasn’t exactly a normal nor short day. When she finishes the day’s events, Saeran’s voice is laden with concern. “I’m sorry that happened to you, MC. Are you alright?”

“Aww, are you worried about me?” MC teases.

“Yes, I am.”

_Offu!_ MC was not used to being straightforwardly spoken to. Heat rises in her cheeks. She feels immature- she blames Luciel. Her shock makes her silence too long.

“MC… if this is too much, I can get you out as soon as possible. I’m sorry that I put you in danger. I don’t want anything to happen to you,” Saeran bites his cheek. “You’re a brave and kind person for wanting to help me and Rika… But we’re just strangers to you, so I don’t want you to think you _have_ to do this. You can back out anytime. And I’ll rescue you.”

For a girl who flirts a lot, MC for once does not know what to say. _I thought I was just a hired agent… Saeran really cares about me._

“Saeran… thank you for your confession. It will be logged in my memory~ So sweet~”

_Confession!?_

“HUH? N-no I-” Saeran’s covers his face in his hands out of embarrassment. He shakes his head and puts his arms down with a determined face and a deep breath. It’s not like there is anyone around to see how embarrassed he is!

“Haha. I’m just kidding. Don’t worry Saeran, I wasn’t going to back out anyway. I _was_ an agent after all- this is nothing. Thank you for your concern though~” Ah yes. The balance has been restored.

“O-of course! I didn’t doubt you. I was just letting you know that you are doing a huge favor for us. So, this isn’t a ‘win or die’ mission.” Saeran regains his composure. “Stay safe okay?”

“Yes, sir!”

“Haha. Alright. Don’t forget, tomorrow I have something prepared, so make sure your perimeter is secure before we call tomorrow. Cameras go back online once I hang up.”

MC shifts back to the position she was in when the call started. “Alrighty~ Over and out!”

Saeran chuckles. “Over and out.”

♥♥♥

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Zen: Aww, MC isn’t online! :c**

**Zen: Well, it’s good that she’s getting sleep then~**

**Jaehee: Isn’t it bad we are all still up then?**

**Luciel: Yeah! Everyone go to sleep!**

**Luciel: Or I’ll kick u out of the chatroom >:3**

**Yoosung: Aw don’t! I wanted to hear about how everyone’s part went with MC! That’s why we are all logged in right?**

**Yoosung: Too bad she isn’t here…**

**-Savior enters the chatroom-**

**Savior: MC isn’t here?**

**Luciel: For eternal paradise, my Savior!**

**Luciel: She is probably sleeping!**

**Luciel: I hope she is dreaming about us** **♥**

**Yoosung: Hehe, she is probably dreaming about me~**

**Savior: Oh? Did you have a good time with her today?**

**Zen: I certainly did, my Savior~**

**Yoosung: I did too.**

**Jaehee: I did, my Savior. We ate together as well.**

**Zen: But Luciel, you jerk!**

**Luciel: owo**

**Zen: I saw you ditch her in the garden! Seriously, dude??**

**Luciel: T_T I had work to do!**

**Zen: What!? No, I saw you showing her around**

**Zen: showing off your flowers**

**Zen: AND**

**Zen: acting all cute! What was that??**

**Zen: Then you started destroying the flowers like you always do, right in front of her! What’s wrong with you;;**

**Yoosung: You showed her the flowers?? I could’ve done that!**

**Luciel: I can show u the flowers if u r jealous Zen~**

**Luciel: Come with me tomorrow~**

**Zen: Quit changing the subject! Don’t be mean or weird to her alright?**

**Luciel: And who are you? Her protector?**

**Luciel: Mr. Wanna-Come-Into-My-Room-Winky-Face?**

**Zen: …I just invited her in, that didn’t mean anything!**

**Luciel: Ya ok, y don’t u invite ME to ur room? :c**

**Yoosung: …You both made moves on MC?**

**Jaehee: Ahem. Mr. Han, you haven’t said anything, did your meeting with MC go well?**

**Savior: Yes Jumin, do tell us!**

**Luciel: ^^**

**Jumin: She interests me.**

**Zen: You!? Interested!?**

**Yoosung: Yeah, MC you are pretty cool! **

**Luciel: Wow… writing to future MC? So cute ** **♥**

**Savior: It looks like everyone got along well with MC today**

**Savior: I am happy to hear that!**

**Savior: I have an announcement to make.**

**Savior: Tomorrow we will have a luncheon with everyone in Magenta to welcome MC and introduce her to all the believers!**

**Savior: Please assume your usual responsibilities at the event. Jumin and Jaehee already know; the event has already been organized.**

**Jumin: Unfortunate that MC isn’t here for the announcement.**

**Jumin: I can visit her in the morning to let her know.**

**Luciel: No need! I already texted her the details!**

**Yoosung: What if she doesn’t wake up in time?**

**Jaehee: I will wake her in the morning. I am up early, and I’m sure she would feel more comfortable with me waking her up.**

**Savior: I agree. Jaehee will wake MC up, if it’s necessary.**

**Luciel: Sounds good to me!**

**Savior: Glad it’s all settled. I will see you all tomorrow.**

**Savior: For eternal paradise.**

**-Savior left the chatroom-**

The other members chatted for a little longer. Jumin and Jaehee left first, tired from the preparations they had to handle. Yoosung, Zen, and Luciel bickered between themselves before finally logging off.

“Are you all caught up now, MC?” Jaehee stares at her from the doorway.

MC blinks the sleepiness out of her eyes and nods. “Yup, got it!” She notices that a cute small table and a few chairs had been added to her room, near the window.

“Sorry for the intrusion so early in the morning.” Jaehee explains. “Since this is no longer a guest bedroom, we thought it would be a good idea to make it a bit more furnished. Is it to your liking?”

“It’s cute! Thank you. I can eat here now or invite people over for tea~” Her room reminds her of a dollhouse, so tidy and cute. MC starts to get out of bed and stretches a bit.

“I am pleased to hear you approve. I have other things to do, so I will take my leave. Enjoy your morning. I will see you at lunch.” Jaehee gives a little wave before leaving the room.

The door closes behind her. MC lounges around a bit, makes her bed, showers, reflects on yesterday’s events- as well as her and Saeran’s conversation- and tries to figure out an outfit. Everyone either wore black robes or a suit… It was unfortunate she had left both of those at home.

She checks her phone. There’s a message from last night from Luciel.

* * *

**Luciel: Luncheon in the Sun Room at 11:30am for the new Mint Eye princess!**

**Luciel: Be there or be square~**

** **

MC frowns. _Is he really going to act like nothing happened?_

It’s now 10:30am. MC figures she should be heading down soon to find the room and make a good impression by being early. Her phone dings.

Oh damnit. The battery was super low since she hadn’t charged it at all. She plugs in her phone and tries on different outfits.

_This should be formal enough right?_

♥♥♥

_Hm, a luncheon huh? Let’s see what’s planned._

Saeran sips his coffee at his desk. He supposes it isn’t normal to be having coffee for lunch, but he had gotten up late this morning. He had trouble sleeping last night.

_The chatroom said Jumin and Jaehee prepared everything so the documents should be well-detailed._

He hacks into the ME database and finds the itinerary for the luncheon. He skims the document. His eyes freeze on one of the notes.

“MC drinks black coffee. She should be able to handle the bitterness of the elixir if we spike her drink.”

_Shit! _Saeran looks at the time. It’s already 12:15pm. He slams his fists on his desk. His coffee threatens to topple over, but it doesn’t. He picks up his phone to message MC. _Maybe she will check her phone at the event? Unlikely, she’s too polite… but there was still a chance…_

There’s a message from MC dated half an hour ago.

* * *

**MC: Saeran, my phone only has about 30 min of life on my battery T_T Sorry I wasn’t more responsible about it!!**

**MC: But the luncheon is only an hour and thirty minutes long, so I’ll plug it in once I go straight back to my room afterwards! I know you are watching anyway~ Don’t worry too much!**

Saeran is frozen in absolute dread. He knows it takes at least five hours to get to Magenta, AND he was already late! How could this scenario possibly get any worse? He draws a blank on what to do… Guilt and regret occupy his mind.

_I should’ve checked these documents last night! I’m an idiot! _But Saeran knows he was distracted last night handling his brother’s feelings. He got to hear it live from Luciel himself, and then had spent time discussing it further with MC.

_MC trusts me with her safety, and I didn’t even check the documents!_

He shakes his head. This wasn’t the time for regrets, it was the time for action. He opens up Sun Room’s surveillance camera feed. Everyone is still eating and chatting. He types into his phone.

* * *

**Saeran: MC, don’t drink anything! There are trying to drug you**

Saeran knows he is late, but just watching it happen without trying wouldn’t make the situation any better.

_I should take care of the aftermath as soon as possible._

He starts getting supplies together alongside his laptop. He rushes out the door and makes a call.

“Vanderwood, could I borrow your detox supplies?”


	5. A Toast

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone at Mint Eye enjoys a festive lunch in honor of MC!

MC enters the hallway in a well-fitting black dress that had a decorative floral lace on top. Luciel watches as she checks the names of the rooms she passes and chats with the believers, asking if they know where the room is. He checks his watch- she is thirty minutes early.

She continues to chat casually with the disciples. MC seems so natural talking to strangers. They laugh and seem comfortable with her. Luciel is impressed by her charisma.

_It would be fortunate for them to have a nice executive like MC…_

Luciel thinks that MC sees him when she lifts her head, and he begins to raise his hand to wave to her. She does not seem to acknowledge him. MC continues to chat, looking around for something else, apparently.

…_Tch._

Luciel fidgets where he stands and scowls, staring at the floor. _Whatever, she probably just didn’t see me._

The Savior pats Luciel on the back. “She just ignored you, didn’t she?” He gives the redhead a sympathetic smile. They both watch MC call out to Zen and skip over to him.

“She can talk to whoever she wants.” Luciel turns away from the crowd and finds Jaehee to help her with preparations.

“MC~ It’s a lovely morning if I get to start it with you!” Zen takes MC’s hand and gives it a quick peck.

MC takes her hand back and chuckles. _I regret my choice._

“If you’re here Zen, I’m guessing that this is the place?” MC looks around and is fascinated- and somewhat disturbed- by the sheer number of disciples that were here.

“Yes ma’am. And aren’t you early? Did you come here early just to chat with me? If so, I’m honored~” Zen winks.

_Why are you asking if you’re just going to answer your own question…_

“Oh Zen~ If I’m going to be an executive, I should be here early! Plus, I haven’t gotten the chance to chat with any believers until now!” MC grins and shrugs. “Does Jaehee need any help setting up?”

“Oh! That reminds me, I have some setting up I have to do actually! I must’ve gotten distracted by the beautiful woman in front of me~” He gives her a sheepish smile. “Allow us to take care of the set-up for this one. You are the guest of honor, after all~” Zen excuses himself from MC’s presence.

Left alone, MC decides that it would be a good time to see what kind of people these disciples were. She goes around the room, making small talk. MC is surprised that most people seem quite normal, although she noticed the extreme politeness she was being shown. A typical cover for fear. All in all, she was pleased to sense that they felt comfortable around her. Hopefully she could provide a dependable presence for these people.

“Ms. MC, you are so kind! N-not that the others aren’t of course!” One stammers.

“How do you enjoy it here?” MC gives a warm look. She hopes she doesn’t look too intimidating.

“O-oh, of course I love it here! Sometimes it is hard… but in the end, I feel good!” they insist. Another one of many, if not all, who answered similarly- in fear. “I’m sure you will have a hard time at first as well, Ms. MC, but have faith and you will adapt to it soon.” They nod, contented with the interaction, and turn away.

_Was that a warning? …So far nothing has been too hard. I hope it stays that way._

Five minutes before the event was about to start, the doors are open, and everyone starts filing in.

Long tables fill the room; dishes were set on tables decorated with flowers and creative centerpieces. At the front of the room is a perpendicular table, with a center seat for the savior and three seats on either side of him. It is an elegant arrangement.

Jaehee finds MC in the crowd and approaches her. “For eternal paradise, MC.”

“This is amazing Jaehee! Great job setting it up!” MC and Jaehee walk towards the front of the room.

“It is a standard luncheon set-up.” Jaehee leads MC to the front. “Here, you can sit at the end, next to me.” MC nods and obliges.

As everyone gets seated, the chatter dies down. The Savior welcomes everyone -as charming as ever- and introduces MC as a new executive. She would be the new party coordinator, fulfilling the former duties of the late Founder.

“We look forward to her eternal happiness! I hope that everyone will treat her as one of us!” He finishes.

There are cheers and the food is served. Everything you could think of for breakfast and lunch was available. MC wonders how long the chefs must’ve worked to prepare all of this. Food is passed around the tables- the clink of silverware against plates and sounds of beverages pouring provide a comfortable white noise in the room. Amongst the commotion, MC quickly updates Saeran that her phone is dying and turns it off. She should save some battery for later in case she needs it.

Laughter and chatter fill the room as everyone enjoys their meal. Some believers approach MC to welcome her and chat a bit. MC feels bittersweet about the whole event. It was wonderful and merry, but she knew that there must be a lot of suffering in this place as well. She hoped that for right now, everyone was having genuine fun.

She shares some laughs with Jaehee, and soon the other executives crowd around them and join in the conversation. MC smiles at everyone, though Jumin remains as stone-faced as ever. She tries to stop herself from staring at the bandage on his cheek. He didn’t leave though, so she figured he must be having fun.

“-and that’s why I eat chips all day!” Luciel laughs. “Oh well, it was an honest mistake~”

“It sounds more like you hacked into their system to manipulate the route of their chips and steal them, not recruit the workers to Mint Eye,” Jumin states. “I question the integrity of your story.” He crosses his arms.

“Wait, if you have so many, then why don’t you share any with me??” Yoosung whines. “You always play tricks on me too, it’s the least you could do!” He pouts.

“I can wrap some up in a pretty box and put a bow on it just for you, Yoosung~” Luciel winks at him. “Is that all I need to do to win your heart?”

Yoosung scoffs at him. “Oh, MC! You should hear about how Luciel has to dress up when he goes out for recruitment…” Hilarity ensues. MC didn’t expect that Luciel would go out so much; she felt like she could picture him as a field agent. Luciel wasn’t the only one though- it would seem all the executives took turns going out to recruit people.

“-so I was lucky that I was able to get a seat! The performance was SO WORTH IT.” Jaehee sighs dreamily.

Yoosung laughs; he nudges MC. “Zen’s performances are the only thing keeping Jaehee alive haha!” He shakes his head. “And I had to scout for people while Jaehee just watched the show!”

Jaehee looks guilty. “I… I suppose that was very unprofessional of me.” Her excitement quickly fades.

Zen, Luciel, the Savior, and even Jumin look at Yoosung disapprovingly.

He nervously laughs and shrugs. “I-I mean it was the least I could’ve done since you always work so hard Jaehee! I was only playing around!”

“Jaehee, we appreciate all the hard work you do here, and I think you deserve to indulge whenever you can.” The Savior speaks up. “I’m so grateful that we can always rely on you.” He places a comforting hand on Jaehee’s shoulder.

She brightens a bit. “T-thank you, my Savior! I will continue to work hard!” The other executives smile, nodding in agreement.

_You should give her less work if you really appreciate her. _MC is not amused.

“What about you MC? Do you have any funny or interesting stories about your life outside?” Yoosung turns to her excitedly, eyes sparkling.

“Oh? I would also like to know how our princess used to live~” Luciel looks curious.

“Oh yes,” The Savior chimes in. “Do you have someone you cherish? I was wondering that actually.” Zen perks up and nods.

MC thinks. “Well, I was very much a busybody in my everyday life, so unfortunately I didn’t have much time for romance,” she admits. For some reason, everyone seems relieved.

Chuckling escapes MC as she starts to think. “But actually, I do have a funny story related to that!”

“About half a year ago, I was running an event. There was this young man who seemed very intrigued by me!”

The Savior chuckles. “That isn’t odd, MC. You are quite the charmer!”

“Haha, no- some staring every once in a while would be fine since I was in charge, but I noticed while I was making my rounds with the volunteers that he would begin to approach me, and then would run away if I made eye contact!”

Yoosung holds his cheeks. “Aww, he was probably too shy, MC!” MC nods.

“Eventually, I decided to approach him myself when his colleague stopped me. She outed him and admitted that he was too shy to talk, but when he saw this, he got so flustered that he tried to hurry over and he trips and falls on me!!” MC gestures and shakes her head incredulously.

Zen scoffs. “Oh sure! He did it on purpose, I bet-!”

“MC!!! WAS HE YOUR SOULMATE OR NOT??” Luciel cuts Zen off, excitedly.

“Then he looks at me embarrassed and says, ‘…I guess I’ve fallen for you?’ Hahaha!” MC starts laughing.

Everyone else stares at her blankly as MC laughs by herself.

_…It wasn’t that funny._

“I think it’s painful for me to admit,” Luciel finally says. “but I would’ve said the same exact thing.” He shakes his head, disappointed. “So this is how I look…”

“Funny you mention that, he had red hair too!” MC recalls.

The Savior and Luciel glance at each other.

“Do you remember his name?” the Savior inquires. 

“Actually, I never got it…” MC wonders. “After that scene, he apologized and they both quickly left.”

Luciel is fake sobbing. “A missed connection!!”

“I would’ve been embarrassed too!” Yoosung covers his face in sympathy.

“But are you sure he never showed up at any of your later events?” Jaehee wonders aloud.

“Hmm… No, I think I would’ve noticed his red hair. I don’t think I’ve even seen another red head until I met Luciel!” MC smiles at him.

“Oh~ and you’ll never meet one as cool as me!!” Luciel playfully winks.

Luciel takes this as an opportunity to begin another wild tale involving his hacker duties. Zen and Jumin are skeptical, Yoosung is genuinely amazed, Jaehee seems to be daydreaming about something else- probably Zen’s musicals, and the Savior plays along with Luciel’s story. MC is sure that out of everyone, the Savior probably knows the most about what is true, and she finds it amusing that he is the one playing along.

After some time, Jaehee offers MC a glass of red wine. “MC, you must try this wine! It is Mr. Han’s favorite, and he was generous to get enough of it for everyone today.” Jaehee grabs another bottle and pours herself some.

“Oh… I’m not really a wine gal!” MC politely declines. _Wine is so gross! _

Zen speaks up. “I agree, wine is not my thing either, but I’ll drink it if you will~” He winks.

“You don’t have to MC. I’m just gonna drink soda~” Luciel chimes in.

Everyone shoots him a look.

“It’s okay! If Zen will sacrifice, I will too~” MC smiles. The things she does to fit in.

The Savior clinks his glass to get everyone’s attention. He raises his glass “Everyone, let’s have a toast for the newest member of Mint Eye.”

Everyone starts filling their glasses. Jaehee hands off her bottle to the other execs.

“To MC!” The Savior begins.

“To MC!” Everyone clinks their glasses together. MC clinks her glass with the execs.

An alarm starts ringing as MC downs the wine.

_UGH! I really do hate wine! I thought downing it would make it easier…_

A bit of mumbling and surprised gasps arise due to the alarm. The Savior looks at Luciel.

Luciel mutters to himself before addressing everyone. “There must be an attack on the system. Please remain here for the moment while I take care of this. You are safer when we can see you.” He glances at MC while heading out of the room and closes the doors behind him.

_This isn’t related to you is it…?_

MC is startled by this turn of events. An attack? Is it Saeran? Who else could it be? As everyone is distracted, she turns on her phone.

_Come on, come on, I have to know if I had instructions! He probably texted me and I missed it!_

The execs are now trying to calm everyone and continue the lunch. MC wasn’t sure how much time has passed, but she starts to feel a bit dizzy.

“You can lean on me, MC.” Jaehee is standing beside MC and supports her. Jaehee turns and talks a bit to the Savior.

When her phone is finally on, MC sees that she has multiple messages.

She scrolls to the first response, but her head hurts. MC’s vision is a bit blurry and she can’t make out the letters. She squints her eyes, trying to focus.

* * *

**Sae** **<strike> : </strike> don’t ** **<strike> : : </strike> trying ** ** drug ** <strike> ** :** </strike>

_Huh? Drug? _She shakes her head to get the weight off it, but it only makes her head throb. She closes the messenger.

She feels like she is about to faint and closes her eyes. MC is spinning. She puts her hands on her head to make it stop. Someone is holding her… upside down? That doesn’t seem right. But she can’t tell which way is up anymore.

It's cold; MC shivers. She hears cooing and someone is holding her tight.

A gentle voice speaks words she can understand. “Now you can be happy MC. Welcome to Mint Eye.” She opens her eyes slightly. She thought she was inside, but all she sees is blue sky. Or maybe it was mint?


	6. Overnight

It’s midnight. The final watch shift was over, and Jaehee heads out of MC’s room and goes into her own. According to the chatroom, MC should continue to sleep through the night- which meant everyone could rest- and Luciel will have the first watch shift in the early morning.

It’s quiet. Most creatures of the day would be asleep by now, but there are some who are still awake. One of them types on his laptop.

_Alright. The camera in the room should be on a loop._

Saeran sighs and closes his laptop. He places it in one of his bags. He sneaks through the garden, noticing the fallen corpses of petals covering the walkways. He waits behind some plants as another surveillance camera rotates the other direction before quickly scaling three floors. He quietly goes into the room through the window.

MC is lying in bed. She has a towel on her forehead.

Saeran hesitates to move. From the window, the white-haired boy looks at the girl in bed and feels regret. _She’s just a young woman trying to have a normal life… look what I brought her into…_

He glances up at the camera above the windowsill before approaching MC. Putting his stuff down by the bed, Saeran inspects her closely. He kneels down next to her.

MC’s brown hair is splayed across her pillow. She seems to be breathing normally, but she is sweating and shivering.

Saeran watches her for a bit before getting to work. He wonders if it’s enough for him to take care of her only at night. He prepares a few things with Vanderwood’s supplies and puts the rest of it aside into an inconspicuous bag next to her stuff in the closet.

_That should be enough for a day or two. Just in case._

Saeran tends to MC while his mind plays back what had happened today.

He didn’t want to do this so soon, but his stress didn’t allow him to think of a better alternative. He had to expose himself, but as one of the best in his field, he was sure that he would be able to fend Luciel off when his brother came after him.

_So long peaceful next few days._

He had parked his car to the side of the road, taking out his equipment. He attacked Mint Eye’s system, messy and aggressively. As a perfectionist, Saeran was disgusted by the rushed attacks, but he had to make a show to get their attention while also making sure that he wasn’t leaving any openings. He had switched to the camera after some time.

The lunch was disrupted by the alarm, but he remembered watching in painful frustration as MC downed her whole cup.

_Wasn’t that wine too?? Why did she chug it down like that?_

Afterwards, he had analyzed his brother’s counterattacks and had gotten a lead.

_And then… _Saeran sighs. His stomach twists recalling what he had seen while irresponsibly driving and watching the footage at the same time. MC was collapsed on the floor, V holding her in his arms. He was saying something to the believers, and they cheer in response. Festivities continued.

Then he had alternated between speeding and hacking all the way to the mountains.

_I can’t change what happened, but I hope that I’m doing enough for you…_

Saeran feels satisfied with his detox preparation, and he lets out a sigh. It took about an hour for the whole process, but he was sure that MC would be alright in the long term. Maybe he should’ve been in the medical division. MC shifts in bed, whimpering a bit, moaning. Saeran winces at these declarations of pain.

_It will hurt for a while MC, but it won’t stay in your system or damage your mind as it would if you weren’t detoxed. _

As long as she doesn’t continue to take the elixir, then she should be fine. According to the chatroom, the executives will see how she reacts first. Unfortunately, they did not describe what they expected, so Saeran isn’t able to help guide her on that part.

He prays silently that things play out well and she doesn’t get drugged further. There wasn’t much he could do at the moment. With the extensive security placed on MC during her recovery period and her extremely inebriated state, Saeran couldn’t rescue her yet. He decided he would get her out once she was feeling better and security lightened.

But Saeran knew if they drugged her while he was gone, there was nothing he could do.

_Maybe I should risk us now and get her out than wait for her recovery and leave her in danger…_

“S-saeran..?” A weak voice comes from the bed.

Saeran is shocked to see MC looking up at him. He didn’t expect her to wake up anytime soon.

“Just rest MC. I’m so sorry…” Saeran places a gentle hand on her shoulder. There are tears in his eyes. “I’ll get you out of here as soon as you feel better. There’s too much security right now.”

Her eyes are glazed over and she’s shaking. “Help me…”

Saeran holds her hands, hoping it would ground her. “MC… I’m here, it’s okay.” He’s seen the documentation of the ingredients in the elixir. He hopes that MC isn’t seeing anything too terrifying.

MC starts crying silently. Bitter frustration swells in Saeran’s chest. How could he have let this happen…

A few hours pass as Saeran holds MC’s hands and quietly comforts her. She smiles at him at some point. Saeran is relieved, but he knew that she would be suffering for much longer and does not allow himself to ease his guilt. She eventually closes her eyes, but Saeran doesn’t let go of her hands.

Well he tried to a few times, but MC would just squeeze his hands tighter in response.

_I don’t want to let go of you either…_

Saeran blushes at his own embarrassing thoughts. He shakes the thought out of his head. This was not the time nor environment for that. He regains his composure and watches MC sleep.

She’s beautiful. Saeran admits to himself that it was what he thought when he first saw her. MC was running a public event he and Rika had volunteered at. She was confident, outgoing, and she just radiated positivity. Rika had teased that Saeran’s staring was obvious and told him to talk to her. When he was unable to, Rika went and talked to MC herself!

…which caused him to embarrass himself, and they had to leave immediately.

_Troublesome woman… She is such a mom, _he thinks fondly.

Saeran recalls his chat with her just a few hours ago. Rika suggested they abort the mission. He agreed. He’ll explain this to MC after her symptoms subside… which might take a day.

_Maybe I could tell her earlier, but she might be too emotional from the drug’s side effects._

Footsteps.

Saeran quickly pushes his things and himself under MC’s bed. He centers himself under and checks his phone quickly.

_It was 3am! Luciel’s shift didn’t start until 5am…_

The door quietly creaks open. Saeran slows and quiets his breathing.

His heart beats out of his chest, but he knows no one can hear that. MC whimpers in bed. She probably reacted to Saeran receding his hands so quickly. _No need to panic…_

“Oh, MC…” The guest walks over to the bed and sits down next to her.

“You don’t want to hold my hands? That’s alright.” Saeran feels immature, but he felt satisfied hearing that.

“I can see why Rika took a liking to you.”

“What was it you said right before you fainted in my arms?”

_It’s V._ Saeran couldn’t see what was happening; he could only listen.

“I think you said, ‘I’ll save all of you’.” V chuckles. “You are genuinely a kind girl, aren’t you?”

Saeran smiles. Even when she’s fainting, she’s determined. Luckily, she kept it ambiguous.

“I wish you said more. Like, how you knew Rika or why you were here.”

Silence.

“Well, it doesn’t matter. You are one of us now, aren’t you?” Saeran feels some movement on the bed.

“How about just a little more, then?” MC whimpers a bit. There’s a little bit of struggling and sounds of gurgling, choking. MC choking.

“Shh, shh. It’s just a little bit more…”

Saeran closes his eyes, his fists tighten. He knows that if he went out now, he would jeopardize their situation. He reasons with himself.

_This isn’t a movie where the hero can just intervene and save the day. I have to stay hidden! I can’t leave with both of us right now. Even if I get away by myself, she would be held hostage, and I could easily be captured. I can’t help her if I get myself caught. They’ll torture her for information about me and just drug her more… right now they still believe she is innocent._

_Forgive me MC… Please forgive me… _Saeran eyes are filled with angry tears. Tears that he cannot act on.

The struggling subsides. Silence, and no movement.

“MC… I hope you aren’t related to the hacker attack.” Saeran’s heart is in his throat. His breathing halted.

“We really like you, you know.” V’s footsteps head to the door.

“I hope your inner desires come out and bring you happiness. We’ll be here to give you everything you want, MC.” The door closes, sinisterly – if it were possible, Saeran imagines.

Saeran listens until the footsteps disappear. He lets out the breath he was holding and crawls out from under the bed.

_It was actually a good thing I was still here…_

Saeran starts preparing another detox.

♥♥♥

MC’s eyes weakly flutter open. Her vision is blurred. She’s holding someone’s hands.

“S-Sae-?”

“Hm? Does the princess awaken to her prince!?” exclaims a goofy voice.

MC blinks and recognizes red hair. She blushes and catches her mistake. “Siel- Luciel…”

“OMG~” Luciel is giddy. “She recognizes me!!” The redhead bounces in his seat.

MC is still processing in her head. Was she about to say ‘Saeran?’ right now? Was he here?

She looks around the room slowly. She’s in her room at Magenta. Was it morning? When did she go to sleep? MC cannot recall anything from the day before.

MC coughs. Her chest hurts. Her head is heavy, and the room is slowly spinning. Why does she feel so liquid full? It was like she was drinking all night.

She tries to get up, but Luciel stops her, a gentle arm on her shoulder. Her whole body ached, so she doubted she could even sit up right now.

“Just rest MC~” Luciel coos. “How do you feel?”

“What happened?” MC asks, closing her eyes to make the room stop spinning.

Luciel frowns. “You hacked into our system yesterday and we knocked you out.”

“Huh?! I’m not a hacker!” MC’s eyes fly open.

_Is that what happened??_

“Haha ok, just checking~” Luciel started giggling. “Your friend hacked into our system!”

“…I don’t have any friends.” MC starts tearing up.

She did have friends, but suddenly she felt so lonely. She said that without even thinking. MC starts sobbing uncontrollably, tears flowed freely down her cheeks. Pure regret washes over Luciel’s face.

_What the fUcK is happening right now… At least I didn’t give Saeran away…_

“I’m sorry MC!! Please don’t cry…” he pulls at his hair violently. “It was only a joke ha ha~ I’m your friend, okay?!” He frantically looks around the room.

“Look MC! I’ll do a cartwheel to prove that I'm your friend!” He starts doing cartwheels across the room.

MC was so confused right now. She knew this was strange, but for some reason this was the most hilarious thing she had seen in her life. She starts howling in laughter, surprising herself.

_I definitely do not laugh this hard, ever._

Luciel starts clapping and giggling. The two of them look absolutely insane, she’s sure. Luciel bounces back to her bedside.

“Yay!! I’m so glad you're happy! What do you want now MC?”

_What do I want?_ She is still dazed, and even though it’s a straightforward question, she doesn’t understand.

“...I see, you’re still tired. It’s okay, just rest~” Luciel sits back on the seat next to her bedside. “You can go back to sleep if you want. Your body is still recovering.”

“Okay…”

Luciel pulls the blankets around her. She looks cozy.

“Luciel…” MC's eyes start to close as she drifts off to sleep.

_She says my name before going to sleep! _Luciel feels victorious.

“You should bleach your hair…”

Luciel stares blankly at MC sleeping.

_She doesn’t like redheads?_


	7. Landslide

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A glimpse of the past.

**It’s so warm.**

A soft moonlight shines through their window. It could be cold, but not inside this room, and not at this moment. It’s so warm; she should be comfortable, but the guilt in her heart has become unbearable. She shivers.

“We have to stop.” She says quietly. Mint eyes stare into her green ones, searching for more of an explanation. He pulls her closer to him, and she lets him. They hold each other silently. He’s so warm.

“Please… let’s stop all this.” Rika pulls away from V. She stares at him with pleading eyes.

“What are you talking about Rika? I’ll do whatever you want.” He replies and smiles sweetly at her. She hasn’t seen this smile in a while.

_That’s what the problem is._ Her thoughts echo within the room, bouncing off the walls, but she is the only one who can hear them.

“Let’s end Mint Eye.” Rika finally said it. She had been thinking about it for a while, but she didn’t have the courage to say it to V.

V frowns. He’s nervous. “But we created all this together: we can’t destroy it! What’s wrong with it? I can fix it -however you want!”

_‘Destroying Mint Eye means destroying our love’ …Is that what this place represents to you, V?_

“Jihyun…” she says patiently. “Let’s start over. Live a normal life. Let everyone go and take our friends with us!” She didn’t want to leave him behind. She never did.

_Please understand V… _She sits up in bed.

_“_But we make these people happy! We make them feel safe from out there… you said it yourself. We can’t abandon them!” He sits up as well and gently holds her arms. Was he supporting her to sit up, or holding her close to himself? Rika wasn’t sure. “Isn’t it enough that you can go out and live an outside life whenever you want and come back? You can come and go as you please!”

“V… we need to let them stand on their own… can’t you see what we’re doing? I was wrong…” Rika looks down. “And we aren’t abandoning them because we we’ve been just imprisoning them… I want to be a good person. I want to help people properly. This was never the way!”

Tears run down her face.

V has a pained expression on his face. “No!! Don’t cry Rika! I’ll do anything to make you happy- I promised it then, and I meant it!” He covers his eyes in agony. “When I see you in pain, I just want to gouge my own eyes out…”

Rika grabs his arms. “V! Don’t say something like that!”

_You’ve already proven yourself more than enough to me. Look what I’m doing to you… I’m poison to you…_

“…I’ll do anything you want Rika. Let’s end Mint Eye.” V looks tired.

_Don’t do it because I want us to, do it because you see it’s wrong V._

Rika sighs, “Let’s talk about it in the morning, V. I’m sorry to have kept you up.”

V smiles weakly. “I will always love talking to you. Don’t worry about it.” They lie back down in bed, holding each other.

_V, what have I done to you? If I leave, will you be able to grow into your own person? Maybe then, it would be for the best…_

Rika gazes at her precious man. He was always so kind to her, too kind. She had taken advantage of that, and together they made Mint Eye. She kissed him.

“Please take care of yourself, V. I love you- I always will,” she whispers. She runs her hands through V’s soft mint hair.

Something changed in her a few months ago, V could tell, but he didn’t want to trouble her and ask. He waited for her to tell him. But she couldn’t. She had made V and their friends do unspeakable things; how could she just explain to them that she had changed her mind? She was the Savior…

Rika closes her eyes. It wasn’t warm for much longer.

She was with Jumin in the basement, disciplining a believer. It was going smoothly; Jumin knew what he was doing. Rika just wanted to supervise.

The believer crawls on the ground. He coughs up liquid, moaning all the while. The movements are slow and erratic. He’s trembling as Rika approaches him.

“We just want you to be happy~” She whispers to the believer, kneeling down.

“Are you… Are you happy Savior?” He manages, struggling to look up at her.

Rika laughs. “What a ridiculous question.” She stands up and looks down on the man.

“Allow me to take my leave. For eternal paradise.” She climbs the stairs of the basement and pauses at the doorway.

“Jumin, do as you wish.” She shuts the door behind her.

The screams echo in her memory, but they bounce off an empty heart; screams were nothing more than another kind of background noise.

But then she thought about that question. Rika thought about it for months. That’s when she realized: she had her perfect lover, and the life she had asked for. She could preach about her passions and share her paradise with her friends. But… she wasn’t happy.

Rika is in the garden. She’s sobbing alone at the bench. What is she doing? She looks up and sees Luciel laughing and annihilating the flowers. This poor boy… he despised his own brother. Would it make her feel better if she could tell him the truth?

“Luciel,” she calls to him.

“My Savior,” Luciel approaches her and bows. His gloves are torn.

“What would you do if you could see your brother again?”

Luciel’s eye twitches. “I would destroy him, my Savior.” His smile does not fade.

“What do you mean?”

“I would take out all the suffering from within me and transfer it to him. I want him to know how I felt. I want him to know how it feels to be betrayed by your own twin.” His smile fades, and his face becomes expressionless.

Rika inspects him. Would this anger subside with time? Luciel’s eyes turned serious in a way than she had ever seen them.

“And then I would destroy myself.”

Rika’s eyes widen.

“Then I wouldn’t be left behind ever again… we would be together! It’s a happy ending…” Tears form in the corners of Luciel’s eyes.

Rika does not hide her sorrow. Tears fall silently, dropping to the cold ground. “Luciel, then why don’t you just live with him? Together?”

Luciel shakes his head and laughs. “If he wanted to live with me, then why did he leave?”

<strike> _Because we told him to._ </strike>

Rika looks at him apologetically. “What if he had no choice?”

“He had a choice.” Luciel blinks back his tears. Indifference settles in his expression. “And I wasn’t part of it.”

Silence.

The wind tossed their hair around. It nipped at their cheeks, dried their tears.

Luciel bows. “My Savior, thank you for saving me. Now I know what happiness is.” His smile is wide, but his eyes were empty. She’ll remember those golden hollow eyes.

_Luciel… I’m so sorry. One day I’ll make this right…_

Rika blinks and it’s morning. She turns over in bed, and V smiles at her.

“I gave it some thought, my love. We should let them be free.”

Shock is apparent on Rika’s face. _He understands?_

“I just poured my love blindly for you, for everything you wanted. What I thought you wanted.”

Rika wraps her arms around his neck and kisses him. “You spoil me… and you gave me everything before I realized it wasn’t what I wanted.” She shook her head. “You work too quickly!”

V laughs. “Don’t blame me!” They chuckle and stare into each other’s eyes. She can feel her heart glowing. This feeling was so familiar to her. But she doesn’t remember this happening.

“I thought about what to say, and I think I could explain it to everyone! I’m sure Jumin can help with everyone’s treatment.” V grabs Rika as he stands and brings her to her feet. They embrace each other, the morning sunlight bathing them in a soft warmth.

_This doesn’t feel right._

“That would be perfect, V!”

Rika realizes and stares at her beloved with sad eyes. “Too perfect…” She takes a step back.

“It would, wouldn’t it, my love?” There are tears on V’s cheeks. “So please don’t leave me Rika…”

“V, I love you…” Rika starts to sob. Her arms reach out to him. “I‘m sor-!”

_That morning never happened._

She blinks and it’s night again. She’s running through the trees, following Saeran.

“Vanderwood, start the engine!” Saeran yells into his phone.

Rika and Saeran climb into the car, and Vanderwood gets them out safely.

The red-haired boy turns to Rika, out of breath. “Haha- it’s not an escape if we aren’t leaving at 3am, right?” He grins.

But Rika has tears streaming down her face.

_Please… this is for the best. If I’m not around, maybe you can realize that all of this is wrong V._

_I… I will come back for you…!_

***BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP* *BEEP***

Rika turns off her alarm. She slowly opens her eyes, and she’s in her apartment. Alone.

Her cheeks are wet. She feels her pillow. Wet. 

“I’m sorry…” She finishes what she had wanted to say to V. Her face contorts in sorrow, and she sobs into her blanket.

_What a cruel dream_. Her tears eventually run out. Though she had made the decision to leave V that night, she still loved him. She missed him.

Rika thought about MC infiltrating Mint Eye. The retired agent who spent her time working for charity organizations. What an interesting girl; according to Saeran, she had not needed too much convincing to help them. However, they had put this girl in danger; it wasn’t worth it. There would be other opportunities. She looks at the time.

_Ray should be back from checking on MC by now._

Rika picks up her phone to call him. He answers immediately.

“Rika, I thought you said they wouldn’t drug her so soon.” Saeran says tersely.

Rika is taken aback. “I-I’m sorry Ray. Back then…” she gulps. “Back then we didn’t drug new believers until a week or so after they arrived. It was my mistake for assuming…”

Saeran sighs. “Yes, I’m sorry, I know.”

“Well, how does she seem?” asks Rika.

“Well, she was drugged _again_. So not too good. I just got back a few hours ago.”

Rika stares at the ground. She had helped develop the drug; she knows what that can do to a person. Her emotions will be all over the place, and her mind will probably devolve into a selfish child’s.

“I’m going to break her out when her symptoms subside. I haven’t told her yet. Didn’t get the chance.”

“I understand. I also agree, it’s too dangerous.” Rika makes her bed, phone balanced on her shoulder.

Silence. Rika adjusts herself, transferring her phone to her hand. She straightens herself.

“Ray… I’m sorry if you are upset with me.” Rika can feel how concise Saeran had been the whole conversation. It was probably better to confront it now.

“I didn’t get to ask you this earlier. My brother hates me. Did you know this?”

Rika’s heart dropped.

“MC told me in her report.”

Rika is shocked. Luciel never spoke to anyone about his brother, aside from her and V. Even then, he hardly brought the painful topic up.

“Did you know this?” Saeran repeats the question.

“…I did.” She hears him slam his fist down on something. Slow, deep breaths can be heard from Saeran’s end.

“Okay. Thanks for telling me." He sighs. "Tell the others I say 'Hi'. I’ll keep you updated.” He hangs up.

Rika puts her phone down. She sighs. Before heading to work, Rika thinks about her dear friend and the kind girl helping them. She thinks about her dream -about her past and what could have been.

_I promise... I will make this right._


	8. Open and Close

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> While MC recovers in bed, the executives take turns watching over her.

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Jaehee: A reminder of the watch schedule while MC recovers.**

**Luciel: Dun dun!**

**Jaehee: Luciel is there right now**

**Jaehee: Mr. Han, Zen, Yoosung, Me**

**Jaehee: She can’t each much right now, so do not give her solid food yet. It will upset her stomach. **

**Jaehee: We have soup and tea for her if she wants.**

**Luciel: ya**

**Yoosung: Got it!**

**Jumin: Affirmative.**

**Zen: Of course.**

**Savior: We have done this before, but since you are all so fond of her, please keep in mind that she will be different because of the elixir.**

**Savior: Please take care of her. Be mindful of what she wants.**

**Jaehee: Thank you for the reminder, my Savior.**

**Jumin: Don’t worry. I will take care of her.**

**Luciel: _I’m_ already taking care of her ;P**

**Zen: Luciel, you better not be doing anything weird**

**Luciel: ;) no u**

**-Luciel left the chatroom-**

Luciel checks the time before putting his phone down. He tucks it into his pocket.

_7am._ _Only two more hours._

Luciel sits on one of MC’s chairs, next to her bedside. He leans forward, resting his elbows on his thighs as he watches MC. She woke up an hour ago, but she had quickly fallen fast asleep. It was a shame that he wouldn’t see her later in the day, but it couldn’t be helped.

_Probably better this way anyway._

There’s a smile on Luciel’s face. He was content like this: to be able to just watch her and know she was safe. He yawned -he had to get up early for this.

Luckily, the attacking hacker seemed to have gone to sleep last night -they disappeared around midnight. Luciel was able to catch a few hours of sleep before his watch shift.

At the back of his mind, Luciel hopes that MC doesn’t lose her personality from the elixir. That happens sometimes; people become a shell of a person. Luciel felt a bit relieved though -she seemed much more peaceful than when he saw her yesterday after the ceremony. She was in a lot of pain.

He’s impressed. Most people are writhing in bed for days, according to Yoosung.

_She’s our strong princess!_

MC shifts position a bit, and her long hair becomes a bit disheveled at her sides. Luciel considers fixing it, but he doesn’t.

Luciel leans back in his seat. His eyes wander to the nightstand, noticing a single red rose.

_When did she pick this? _He reaches towards the flower.

“That’s mine.” Luciel turns his head in shock. MC is awake, and she’s eyeing the rose.

“Ah, I see. Can I look at it?”

MC shakes her head. “You’re going to crush it.”

The comment was a slap to Luciel’s face. “Haha… guess that scene made an impression on you, huh?” He feels a bit guilty, but that’s who he was. “Since it’s yours, I promise I won’t crush it~” He gives her his cutest smile.

“No. You threw it away, so now it’s mine. I’ll take care of it.” MC says matter-of-factly. She closes her eyes again.

_It was the rose I threw? From the other night?_ Luciel frowns.

“I tossed it away. Why did you pick it up?” He interrogates.

“You didn’t want it, right? So why does it matter?” MC glares at him.

_Why does it matter? _Was she always this snarky? Luciel snatches the rose from the nightstand. MC tries to stop him, but she’s still sore. She cries out from the sudden movement.

“Don’t move. You’re recovering.” He spat. Luciel looks at the rose.

“If you crush that rose, we are not friends anymore.” MC looks determined.

“There are a ton of flowers outside! You can pick any of them if you want.” He sneers. Luciel wants to ruin the flower specifically because she doesn’t want him to. _This rose doesn’t mean anything…_

“That rose is precious to me.”

“What are you even talking about? It’s just a flower!” Luciel looks at her incredulously.

“Is this what you want Luciel? You want to destroy things, even if they are precious?” MC snaps. “It’s precious to you too, isn’t it? That’s why you didn’t crush it that night!”

“What!?”

_What in the world is this ridiculous girl talking about. I should just crush this stupid flower to prove she’s wrong._

“You’re going to crush that rose in denial of what I said. If you do, you only prove me right!” MC’s eyes pierce right through him.

They hold their glare for a few moments.

Luciel puts the rose down on the nightstand, scowling. “Whatever,” he grumbles. “You’re making a big deal out of nothing.” He huffs and takes a laptop out of his satchel.

“I’m going to do some work on my laptop. Don’t bother me.” He goes to MC’s table and sits facing away from her. He pretends he doesn’t notice MC’s smug face watch him. _Who does she think she is…_

She gazes at the windowsill, and then victoriously at her rose on the nightstand.

_I’ll protect you!_

MC goes back to sleep.

♥♥♥

“-happily ever after. The End.” Jumin closes his book. He sees MC’s eyes flutter a bit. Perhaps he closed the book too loudly. He notes to be more gentle next time.

“Oh, good morning MC. It is 11am. Would you like breakfast? Or early lunch?” MC opens her eyes to see the stone-faced rich boy himself. He has a fresh bandage over his cheek.

She looks annoyed.

“What are you doing?” MC asks tersely. She squints at him.

_She hasn’t forgiven me yet. It can’t be helped._

Jumin leans back, placing the book down on the floor. “I was reading a book to you. I thought it would make you feel calm while you slept.”

MC’s eyebrows raise a bit, and Jumin wasn’t sure, but she seemed to look a bit shy from his response. Perhaps she didn’t expect that. She pauses for a moment.

“Did Luciel leave because I made him mad?”

Jumin scoffs. _When isn’t that boy annoyed?_

“I find it amusing that you upset him. I thought he was fond of you.” He raises an eyebrow at the girl.

MC shrugs. “I was just being real.”

Jumin smirks. _“Being real?” I suppose she isn’t holding back on him. Honesty isn’t Luciel’s specialty._

He waves his hand. “Well, no. The executives all have a shift throughout the day watching you while you recover.” Jumin explains. “It’s my turn right now.”

No response. A blank expression rests on her face.

Jumin wonders if she needs anything.

“Would you like anything MC?”

MC is looking off into the distance. Was she paying attention? Jumin follows her eyes, and she seems to be looking at the windowsill. She turns to Jumin and nods.

“Just tea.” She smiles politely at him. Jumin gets up and pours her some tea at her table where a teapot and thermos were readily available.

She sits up slowly. Jumin approaches her to support her, but she shoots him a menacing look. He backs off, and she sits up herself.

“Are you feeling a bit better?” Jumin puts the tea on her nightstand for her.

“Yes, my body feels a bit better.” She takes the tea and sips it. “But in terms of you, no.”

_Ouch._

Still standing, Jumin blinks at the girl nonchalantly enjoying her tea.

“Before you say something snarky, I want you to know that I understand that you’re figuring out your emotions.” She sips her tea. Jumin opens his mouth to respond but she cuts him off again.

“But you don’t have to kiss people for them to care about you. And that’s not how you get people to care about you.” She looks up at him over her tea.

She blows away the steam. “Don’t drink tea too quickly or you’ll burn your tongue!” MC says suddenly, playfully. She takes a few more sips.

“…I understand. Thank you for explaining this to me.” Jumin smiles. He thinks about her words: he did not expect her to be so… understanding. MC seems to be a very kind girl. Oddly straightforward, but kind. He slightly regrets treating her so harshly before. He looks back at the thermos on the table.

“Is there anything else you want, MC?”

“Let’s be friends, Jumin.” MC gazes at Jumin with a sweet smile. Her eyes sparkled with a pure genuineness that his grey eyes could not look away from.

Heat rises in Jumin’s cheeks. “Ahem. I meant if you wanted soup.” His eyes dart away.

“Oh, nah.” She continues drinking her tea.

Jumin shifts in his suit. Was it always this hot? He clears his throat, though there was nothing in the way.

“Jumin, is there someone who you are close to?”

_Who I’m close to..?_

“The Savior and I are childhood friends; I mentioned that the other day when we first met,” Jumin coughs. “Otherwise, the only one I look forward to seeing everyday is my dear Elizabeth the 3rd.” His expression softens, thinking about his little princess.

MC's eyes widen, noticing his expression. “Oh!? Why are you kissing me when you have a girl with a name like that??”

_What a straightforward question._

He chuckles. “You misunderstand; Elizabeth the 3rd is not a romantic partner, she is a creature of pure grace: a cat. Though, she does provide me with a generous amount of insight and support. The sight of her beauty alone brings me comfort, and every action is elegance to behold.” Jumin paces while he speaks.

MC appears dumbfounded. Was she awestruck by the awesomeness of cats? Jumin could not blame her.

_MC should meet Elizabeth the 3rd. I’m sure they would like each other._

“Ohhh… so that’s the cat Luciel was talking about!” MC exclaims, nodding her head in understanding.

Jumin grimaces. That boy's threat was extreme and uncalled for. He does not wish to even imagine such things.

“That was beautiful though. You are definitely the kind of guy who would spoil his girlfriend~” MC teases, clutching her heart.

Jumin is amused. He couldn’t imagine spoiling a woman; additionally, he lacked romantic experience, so how would she be able to deduce that?

“Jumin…”

Jumin turns to see MC lying back in bed. The empty cup rests on her nightstand.

“Don’t get me wrong: I still think you’re a dick. Don’t force people to do things, and I’ll change my mind.” She snuggles with the blankets before dozing off again.

Jumin raises his eyebrows. A **very** straightforward girl indeed. He chuckles. “Fair enough.” He tells the sleeping girl.

_If only it were so simple…_

Jumin goes to his bag and shuffles through it as he chooses another book to read.

_♥♥♥_

_Hmm this pose is pretty good!_ Zen snaps another selfie in front of the windowsill. _The angle of the garden from MC’s room is **way** better than mine!_

He looks towards the bed. MC is sleeping soundly. She is probably sleeping the best out of anyone cleansed he’s seen.

_That’s my girl! When she wakes up, she would be the only thing missing from my perfect selfies._ He happily imagines MC posing in a picture with him.

Other kinds of poses she could be doing for him flashed through his mind. Zen gulps.

MC grumbles in her sleep and turns over. Her brown hair is a mess. Seeing this precious girl at peace momentarily keeps his obscene thoughts at bay.

_You are in a lady’s room, Zen. Be a gentleman._ He sits at the table and composes himself.

_Ah, I’ll practice some lines._ He opens some files on his phone and starts reciting. The Beast and The Beauty. A classic. He practices at the empty space between MC’s table and the foot of her bed. He looks at MC when the characters address the heroine.

He walks as he speaks. He laughs. He turns dramatically. He shudders. He falls to his knees. He looks disgusted.

“If I didn’t know better, I’d think you had _feelings_ for this monster.” He sneers.

“He’s no monster, Zen, _you_ are!” Zen swivels around to see MC pointing an accusing finger at him. For a moment, he is too shocked to respond.

“Oh! MC, it must be a pleasure for you to wake up to my face~ Just as it’s a pleasure for me to see you right when you wake up~” He blows a kiss. “Slept well princess? How long were you watching me?” He sits down at the table and pours himself a cup of tea and one for MC as well.

“Long enough to know how talented you are~”

_This girl knows what a man wants to hear!_

Zen smiles sheepishly as he brings her the cup. “I-I’m alright! I work at it.”

“No, you really are good Zen!” She reaches for the cup while Zen was still holding it, placing her hands on top of his. MC gazes up at him and smiles.

Zen blushes and quickly puts the tea down on the nightstand. He skips over to the table and sits down. He fidgets a bit and then moves to the windowsill and leans on the wall. He sips his tea.

MC sits in bed with an amused look on her face, watching Zen fidget.

“Uhm… Zen?” MC giggles. “Why are you standing at the opposite side of the room?” She suddenly wants to do something fun.

“Oh, hm? I didn’t notice,” Zen dismisses the question.

_That giggle was irresistible. Probably best if I stay as far away as possible._

MC smirks. “You want this, don’t you?” She winks.

_SDOGHSLDKFJSDIVHSLDFHSLDFKH_

“More tea, right?” She points at the teapot. “It’s okay Zen, you can have as much as you want- no need to save me some~”

Zen internally groans. Girls don’t really play coy with him. They usually throw themselves on him. And he always politely pushes them away…

Lost in his thoughts, he doesn’t notice that MC gets out of bed.

“Zen?” She taps him on the shoulder.

Zen jumps ten feet off the floor! -In his mind. He jolts a bit. MC is holding the teapot and gestures it towards him. Without hesitating, he chugs down his full cup of tea in front of her and quickly offers the now empty cup out for her. She pours him some fresh tea.

Her lips curve into a coy little smile. “Thirsty, aren’t we?”

Zen coughs, almost choking on his tea. He grabs the teapot from MC and places it- and his cup- on the table. He heads to the bathroom and promptly shuts the door.

MC feels her phone vibrate as she watches his escape. She opens the messenger.

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Zen: Someone switch with me!**

**Zen: I don’t feel well.**

**Jaehee: I believe everyone is busy right now Zen;;**

**Yoosung: Is MC ok?**

**MC: I’m great! Good afternoon~**

**MC: I think Zen is trying to run away from me T_T**

**Luciel: LOL**

**Luciel: Saw it all, it’s true**

**Jumin: What would you like MC?**

**MC: I want him to come to me :3**

**Luciel: Post-Elixir MC is Spicy** **™**

**Zen: SOMEONE SWITCH**

**Jumin: You cannot deny the woman what she wants ** **♥**

**Jaehee: !!**

**Luciel: OMG**

**Luciel: DADDY SAID ITS OK ZEN GET IT**

**Jaehee: Uhhh**

**Jaehee: While we are on this topic, could someone switch with me later tonight? **

**Jaehee: I’m a bit behind on work… I would greatly appreciate it.**

**Yoosung: …Should I switch with Zen?**

**Luciel: IM KICKING ZEN**

**Luciel: BYE ZEN HAVE A GOOD TIME**

**-Zen left the chatroom-**

**MC: Prince Luciel, thank you for your service ** **♥**

**Luciel: ya**

**-MC left the chatroom-**

She puts her phone away, shaking her head in disbelief.

MC stumbles a bit before taking a seat on the bed. She waits, looking expectedly at the bathroom door. Zen sheepishly comes out, not making eye contact. He pretends like this is all very natural.

“What happened Zen?” MC tilts her head in feigned confusion.

“Ah- well- “He tries to think of a semi-decent excuse.

_I totally didn’t just try to run away…_

“Weren’t you the guy that tried to kiss me after twenty minutes of knowing me?” Her tone is sharp. Her glare is sharper.

_Oh…uh…I did try to do that…_

Zen is speechless. MC slowly gets up off the bed.

“The guy that invited me to his room~?” She teases. MC approaches Zen with drunken movement. The actor isn’t sure how to respond. She walks her hand up his chest.

“Where’s that guy?” MC whispers. For a moment, her hand pauses at Zen’s collar as she briefly turns her head.

“White hair is so my type…” she says, still facing away. MC turns her attention back to Zen. She brings her face up to his.

Zen’s face is burning up, and he’s lost in her half-opened glassy eyes. He’s as still as a statue. His mind was as blank as one too.

MC’s lips were about to brush up against his when she grabs the collar of his blazer, turns him, and pushes him onto the bed. MC crosses her arms.

“**You’re all bark and no bite!** Just a harmless _annoying_ little puppy.” MC growls. Flustered, Zen is too shocked to say anything. He blinks, stupefied.

A disgusted expression creeps onto MC’s face. “You say and do all these things just to get noticed, don’t you? But they don’t mean anything!” She challenges him.

_Please don’t hate me MC…_ Zen feels his life drain from his entire being. There was nothing to say in his defense.

Suddenly MC looks at Zen with a deeply sympathetic expression, shaking her head. “Why do you always try so hard for attention Zen? Are you really that insecure?” She looks down and her hands shake as she straightens her dress. MC is waiting for an answer.

_That’s what I’m good at: acting. Talking big, acting tough. I want people to think I’m confident and cool, but…_

“…but how do I know if I’m good enough?” Zen brings his knees to his chest and hugs them.

“For who?” MC sits on the bed next to him. She gently places a hand on his shoulder.

“Huh?”

“Good enough for who?” She stares into his eyes. He averts his to avoid the sorrow MC was feeling for him.

For a fleeting moment, his family crosses his mind.

Zen doesn’t answer. He doesn’t know. He doesn’t want to think about it.

“Zen… You were born handsome and talented, and you work hard to be skilled. You should have more confidence in yourself. Please do.” Zen feels a tug at his heart; he feels warm from her sincerity. She comforts him with a light squeeze on the shoulder. He wants to hug her, or thank her…

“At least enough confidence so that you can accept a woman’s advances one day!” MC laughs. She falls backwards to lie in bed. “I’ll always be ready for that hot bod,” MC winks.

Zen chuckles and shakes his head, before slowly bringing himself off the bed. MC watches him move away, once again. He takes a seat at the table and sips his abandoned tea.

MC smiles dazily at him from the bed. She nods and gazes in the distance. Zen figures her energy has run out.

_She should be out again pretty soon. _Zen lets her be and focuses on his phone to memorize his lines again.

By the time Zen is done with his tea, he can see MC had fallen asleep. He goes over, picks her up and places her properly so that her head was on her pillow. He tucks her in.

_So, the truth is revealed that she does find me attractive! _He silently thanks the elixir -Zen feels satisfied. He looks endearingly at MC resting.

_And yet, before all this, you didn’t treat me like I was handsome. It bothered me that it felt like you didn’t see my face but… _

_I guess you always saw me as a person._

Zen stands by the bed for a bit, admiring MC.

_Even when you have your own desires… you desire what’s best for us too, don’t you?_

_♥♥♥_

MC is looking right at him. “White hair is so my type…” She smirks at the camera. MC turns back to Zen.

_W-what did she just say!? _Saeran’s hands are covering his face. He shakes his head. _There’s no way she was looking at the camera on purpose! _

He thinks. But then again, she had been looking _right_ at the camera. And she had looked at the camera **each time** she’s been conscious so far.

“MC… stop looking at the camera just to flirt with me… I’m not the only one watching you know…” he mumbles. Saeran lowers his hands. He keeps shaking his head and denying the flutter in his heart.

Saeran sighs. He needs a break.

♥♥♥

A fist slams down on the table. MC stirs in bed.

_Oh! Sorry MC!!_ Yoosung apologizes telepathically. He tucks a tuft of blond hair behind his ear and turns back to his textbook.

…_Ugh, none of this makes any sense._

Yoosung brings his elbows on the table and rests his head on his hands. He reads another sentence.

_I’M SO BORED._

He looks around the room, fidgeting. The room is pretty empty aside from the furniture. He looks at the open closet. Was there more luggage in there than before? He decides to check later. His eyes rest on MC, and his expression softens.

For some reason, MC reminds him so much of the beloved Founder. He thinks of all the reasons.

_Hmmm… they are about the same height?_

Yoosung is satisfied that he could see the similarity between them.

He looks down at his study materials and shoves himself away from the table as he pushes his chair back. Playing doctor would be much more interesting.

He walks over to MC's bedside, carrying his medical supplies. He inspects MC's face. She’s resting so… soundly. Yoosung frowns. He’s cleansed a lot of people, and this was strange.

Grabbing her arm and feeling her pulse, Yoosung is confused. Her pulse is pretty normal. He feels her forehead. Standard temperature. He checks her eyes by gently pulling up her eyelids.

Everything seems… mostly normal.

Yoosung stands straight and crosses his arms. MC was definitely drugged- they had all seen it. Did her body easily accept the elixir? Maybe he should up the dose for her or…

His phone rings. Yoosung looks at the caller and answers. “Yes, Luciel?”

“The hacker is going crazy; I’m going to have to momentarily shut down the system so that they can’t get any more data.”

“Okay. Do you need anything from me?” Yoosung tilts his head.

“I’m telling you because that means I will have to shut down the cameras. You're with MC, right?”

“Yes, I’m watching over her.” Yoosung looks at MC, still sleeping peacefully.

“Okay, I can’t keep an eye on you two over the cameras so take good care of her. The messenger is a separate app from the main system, so it’ll still be running. Message if MC needs anything.”

“Gotcha. Don’t worry, I’ll take good care of her. I’m thinking of giving her something new~” Yoosung looks over at his bag.

“For eternal paradise~” Luciel hangs up.

“Wow, you don’t ever call me!” MC exclaims.

Yoosung is so shocked he almost drops his phone. Embarrassed by his overreaction, he immediately gives her his best smile to cover for it. “Evening MC!”

“Good evening, Yoosung. For eternal paradise.” MC stretches a bit. She looks out the window. “Yoosung, you’re a doctor, right? Why have I been sleeping all day?” She asks innocently.

“I’m more surprised you’ve been waking up so much.” He responds. Yoosung’s expression is serious. “How do you feel?”

MC looks at him blankly. “Um…” She fidgets on the bed, looking around. “I feel okay…?”

_…Is she thinking about how to answer?_

Yoosung is surprised that she not only is able to take a moment to think, but that she had a good grasp on time; some believers feel like they’ve been unconscious for days. He wasn’t sure what this meant, but he definitely knew she wasn’t reacting to the elixir like she should be.

He smiles for her. “That’s good!”

MC responds with a polite smile.

_What a heartwarming smile…_ Yoosung easily forgets what he was worried about a second ago. It’s only been a few days, but he loves it when MC gives him attention.

“…Yoosung?”

_Oh!_

Yoosung averts his gaze and pretends he was spacing out. He was staring a bit too long…

“Well, how was your day Yoosung?” MC sits up in bed and leans forward to listen.

“Oh! Thank you for asking, MC~ Our Founder used to ask me about my day too…” He takes a seat on the bed, next to MC; Yoosung starts telling her about his day, and he’s pleased to find that MC was a very engaged listener. She nods, smiles, and reacts. The other execs weren’t always available to hang out with him, and the believers were often nervous when they spent time with him.

In the back of Yoosung’s mind was a creeping uneasiness while he chatted with her. MC seems completely sober? But then again, he was relishing the wholehearted attention he was receiving, so maybe it was alright…

Yoosung starts ranting on how **boring** studying was and how he sees so many lost souls in class; MC's mind starts to wander.

_I wonder what Saeran is up to… _She glances towards the windowsill.

Suddenly, MC is startled by the tight grip on her cheeks, around her jaws. Yoosung's hand jerks her face towards him. There’s a fire in his eyes, but he’s smiling at her.

“MC~ I was talking to you~” MC shivers from his icy half-open gaze. “Why are you looking away?”

His smile turns into a scowl. “The cameras are off. Luciel can’t see you. Were you trying to make me jealous?”

MC was speechless. _The cameras are off…?_ Yoosung starts to chuckle.

“He’s your favorite isn’t he? I’m talking to you, _right in front of you, _and you look towards the camera!?” Yoosung still has his grip around her face. “The elixir should’ve had you glued on my conversation, and here you are _getting distracted!_” He wildly throws his other arm up in confusion.

“N-no Yoosung- You’re mistaken!!” MC insists, her brain trying to come up with a way to de-escalate this situation. “I was just looking out the window…?”

She wishes she had a better excuse.

Yoosung looks thoughtful. His grip around her face loosens. “Well… I’ll forgive you if you accept something from me~” He makes puppy eyes at MC. They were empty puppy eyes, but he seemed to be in a better mood. MC is hesitant, but she didn't want to set him off again. She nods.

Yoosung jumps up and skips to his bag. “I made you some soup myself! You can’t have solid food yet, so I hope this is okay!! It’s a new recipe~” MC can see that his face is a bit red as he fumbles through his bag.

She relaxes a bit.

“It should be a comfortable warm temperature by now, so please have lots!!” He finds the thermos he was looking for. He stands next to the bed and holds the thermos close to himself. He timidly avoids eye contact.

“Uh- If- I-“ he stutters. “I c-could feed it to you, if that’s okay…!”

MC couldn’t help but blush at this innocent display. “Ah, okay~” She sits herself up against the bed frame, seated while he stood, and tilts her head up.

Yoosung brings the bottle to MC's lips, and a pungent odor reaches MC's nose as a horribly bitter liquid floods her mouth. MC's eyes widen with realization- she tries to react, but it’s too late. MC was leaning against the headboard of the bed- she couldn’t back away. Yoosung was gripping her jaw with one hand, pouring the elixir with the other. MC is struggling as she’s coughing and choking on the foul liquid. Her hands grab at Yoosung’s arms, but either he was stronger than he looked, or the lingering drugs made her weak.

_No! I was finally beginning to think properly again! _She instinctively glances towards the camera, tears in her eyes.

Yoosung's face obscures her line of sight. “**I want you to look at me MC~**” he tilts the rest of the bottle to empty it as he continues to force her jaw open. Drowned screams are always his favorite part of the process.

MC coughs some out at the end- liquid runs down the sides of her mouth and onto her dress. Yoosung lets go of her.

_Since she probably still has some elixir in her system, this new dose should kick in pretty quickly._

MC falls to the floor, coughing. Yoosung watches her as she pitifully crawls to the bathroom. She closes the door behind her, not even remembering to lock it.

“Aw, are you mad at me MC? I’m sorry~ I think I got the wrong thermos!” He says playfully through the door. He hears her coughing on the other side.

Yoosung opens the door to see MC leaning over the toilet. “Hm? What are you doing MC?” Yoosung's amusement was ruined; his smile disappears. “I thought you wanted to be one of us? So, what are you trying to do?”

MC whimpers as Yoosung bends down and reaches around her waist to pull her up towards him. “Hey MC,” He inspects MC’s face closely. “Tell me what you think of me.”

Her eyes are shaking. “I-It just hurts,” she cries. MC can’t even focus in front of her. “My… my head…” She cries a bit, and her eyes glaze over as they flutter shut. Yoosung feels her body go limp.

_About time she lost consciousness. _Yoosung shakes his head before picking her up and bringing her to the bed. She’s shaking, shifting uncomfortably every few moments.

_Ah, much better._

As he calms down, Yoosung proceeds to pull at his hair in frustration. Anxiety overwhelms him.

_I went way too far!! _Yoosung moans with his face in his hands. _She just glanced away for a second, and I lost it!_

He desperately looks at MC. _I can just explain myself when she wakes up; she’s so understanding and nice that I'm sure she’ll forgive me...?_

It’s hopeless.

_I mean, I was going to give her more elixir anyway! So, it wasn’t too out of hand, right??_

Yoosung cries out in embarrassment and shame. He has always let his suspicions take over, but he was afraid that MC might hate him after this. Things were so much easier when the Founder told him what to do. Of course, this would happen when he makes his own decisions.

He looks at her again. _I’m sure the elixir will help her understand…_

Yoosung recalls all the times the Founder had forgiven him when he had made mistakes.

_Yes, I’m sure MC would understand!_

Feeling a bit better, Yoosung goes back to the table to study. He slumps in his chair. He still has so much to go over, and it was already almost 9pm.

Yoosung looks over at MC again, pouting. He really should study; it wasn’t like MC was going to wake up within the rest of his shift.


	9. Red, Gold, White, Blue

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some sugar and some spice~

Luciel sat at MC’s bedside with his arms crossed. She was shivering in pain again, thanks to Yoosung. He knew that this was part of the process, but for some reason he felt uncomfortable. Perhaps he felt a tiny bit sorry for her. He leans back and puts his arms behind his head.

_I have so much work… I shouldn’t have offered to cover for Jaehee._ He was already here though. He sighs.

According to Yoosung, MC did not wake up after taking the dose, and she shouldn’t wake up during Luciel’s shift either. Luciel feels safe knowing this.

“MC… You are so strange.” He chuckles softly. A light breeze enters the room from the window.

“Why did you want to join us? Did you know we were just going to hurt you?” Luciel stares at her. “We just want to make you happy too… so I hope you can endure this.”

_We had to do this, right? _He shakes any doubt in his mind. _We all went through this! She will be fine, and it will be nice to have a new executive!_

He smiles at the thought. He loves that MC plays along with him- that she had a similar quirky humor that gave them great chemistry. It would make his breaks in between his extensive workload much more enjoyable.

_…_

MC’s consciousness feels heavy. She hated this. She hated this feeling. She wanted it to go away. She struggles against it, but nothing changes.

She feels suffocated: the feeling- it was everywhere. She wants to scream. Or maybe she was already screaming? She doesn’t know.

She feels shaking. But it wasn’t her shaking. Someone was shaking her?

MC is afraid to open her eyes. She doesn’t want to see purple. Or anything. Her senses are too jumbled, everything was too much. She can’t make sense of anything, and she felt like she would be lost like this forever.

“MC… it’ll be okay! I know you are strong… stay strong through this…” A voice echoes in her mind. They were kind words, but she knew that kindness was only a front here. She feels like she is floating in nothingness. Her eyes dart around, but she can’t see anything. Her eyes aren’t even open.

“Look at me MC… open your eyes and relax.” Oh, her eyes really weren’t open.

Hesitating, her eyes slowly open. Red and gold. She isn’t sure how she feels about these colors. She wants to laugh one moment, but then she feels cold. Everything is spinning, and blurry. She can feel her breath rush in and out of her body.

Tears are running down MC’s face. Her body hurts, but nothing feels real. Her mind struggles to understand something, anything. She is only confused and scared.

“Please relax MC,” the voice insists. “Embrace it… don’t be scared~”

A warmth envelops her. MC stops struggling.

She feels… safe? Yes… she feels safe. She can finally relax. She wants to feel like this all the time.

The warmth slowly recedes. No… MC feels desperate. She doesn’t want to be left in this cold nothingness. She holds tightly onto the warmth.

“N-no… please… more…” pleads MC. She’s shivering.

“…alright. O-only until midnight.” The warmth returns; she stops shivering.

MC feels warm until her mind finally, and blissfully, goes blank.

…

Luciel is lying next to MC, holding her tightly in his arms. She snuggles with him. His face is red, but there’s no one he needs to hide it from.

He waits until her breathing slows, and he’s sure she’s fallen asleep again. He lets her go, slowly, and removes himself from her bed. He places himself sitting next to her bedside once again. The black and gold rimmed glasses are placed back on his face.

“MC… Don’t act like you need me…” Luciel says quietly. He looks away from her in embarrassment. The words came out of his mouth, but he knew that her embrace was the most pleasant experience in his life.

_No, no! I love it when I get hugs from Yoosung and the Savior too!!_ He convinces himself. _Besides… your hugs are too pure. Too pure for someone ruined like me…_

His thoughts trail on while he watches her, when a sudden concept causes him to freeze.

_You shouldn’t be here. You should get out of he-_

**_No_**_**… no, no, no, n**o I’m not allowed to think that! _He holds his head- a splitting headache causes him to yelp. He doesn’t remember the last time his head hurt like this.

He glances nervously around the room. Why? No one can read his thoughts…

Luciel looks at MC, determined. _You do belong here, with us._

_Maybe you should just get away from me. People like to leave me behind, after all._

Paradise wasn’t the problem- it was him, he concluded. He was ashamed of what he had thought earlier. This was exactly what MC should stay away from- his indecisiveness, his fickle nature, these impulsive and insolent thoughts. He would only be an awful influence on her.

“Be happy, MC…” Luciel whispers. He quietly grabs his things. It was an hour before his shift ended, but he was sure she would be fine. He heads out the door and towards Yoosung’s room. He needs to fix these thoughts of his.

♥♥♥

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Luciel: I left my post an hour ago, and MC is fine~**

**Yoosung: Did anything happen while you were there?**

**Luciel: I got in bed with her** **♥**

**Zen: …You better be joking**

**Luciel: ^^**

**Yoosung: Of course, he’s joking! Right Luciel?**

**Yoosung: ** **Right.**

**Jumin: I think he’s not joking.**

**Jaehee: …should I have taken my shift after all?**

**Luciel: LOLOL prankd**

**Yoosung: omg Luciel you gave me a heart attack lol**

**Luciel: Nah you were jealous**

**Yoosung: haha… don’t play around **

**Luciel: bet**

**-Savior enters the chatroom-**

**Luciel: ** **♥My Savior** **♥**

**Savior: How was everyone’s day with MC?**

**Luciel: She yelled at me in the morning T_T**

**Jumin: I was scolded as well**

**Zen: It… was torture for a bit**

**Yoosung: …She took charge of you guys?**

**Luciel: LOL r u actually jealous again**

**Yoosung: wyh would I eb jealoisu**

**Luciel: Ya ok nice typo**

**Jaehee: …**

**Zen: …**

**Jumin: u into that?**

**Savior: Haha it’s good to see that MC still has her spunk.**

**Savior: Tomorrow I’d like her to spend time with me so that she can bond with the believers**

**Savior: Everyone is welcome to join us, of course :)**

**Luciel: Nah im good**

**Jaehee: I will find time for it since I was unable to interact with her today**

**Savior: By the way, Yoosung, you gave her the new elixir correct?**

**Yoosung: Yes, she drank most of it**

**Savior: Good. Anything else to note?**

**Yoosung: Actually yeah. You didn’t know about the bag in her room did you, my Savior?**

**Savior: ?**

**Yoosung: I found another bag that wasn’t there before- in her closet. Does anyone know about this?**

**Yoosung: Whose bag is this?**

**Yoosung: Why was that bag there?**

**Luciel: chill Yoosung lolol always suspicious**

**Yoosung: I was just checking.**

**Yoosung: Anyways, it has a lock on it, so I don’t know what’s inside.**

**Yoosung: But why would anyone be locking their bags?**

**Savior: Jumin, could you find out?**

**Jumin: I will ask around tomorrow.**

**Savior: Thank you, my dear friend.**

**Savior: And Luciel, how is our system?**

**Luciel: Recovered and good as new~**

**Luciel: Except the hacker is still attacking T_T**

**Luciel: But everything seems to be running properly!**

**Savior: Pleased to hear it**

**Savior: I will head to bed now. I’ll check the chat later if there is anything else. **

**Savior: For eternal paradise**

**-Savior left the chatroom-**

**♥♥♥**

Saeran yawns, leaning against the garden wall. He really wasn’t going to get any sleep at this rate. He easily sets up MC’s camera to a loop, smirking.

_I’ll have to show my brother a thing or two about protecting a system when this is over…_

He puts his laptop away. _Here we go again._ Saeran knows what path to take, and when to wait for a camera to pass.

_At least I have less to carry._ He thinks, scaling the walls.

Once again, he is back in MC’s room. And once again, guilt rushes over him. He had been a bit too careless earlier, Saeran admits. He was getting too much of a lead over his brother, so Luciel shut down the system: including the cameras. Luckily the messenger was still running, and Saeran found out- albeit too late- that MC had been drugged _again._

Unfortunately, there was nothing he could do- but it made him feel worse that he couldn’t see what had happened. Saeran frowns. Maybe it was better that he didn’t see her suffering.

MC was in bed, as she had been for the past day. Saeran felt a bit hopeless; it felt like no progress had been made. When would he be able to rescue her from this place?

_No matter what happens, I’m taking her out in two days. They might just continue drugging her until… _Saeran gulps. He doesn’t want to think about the worst case. He heads to the closet to grab Vanderwood’s supplies.

Except it isn’t there. Saeran’s heart drops. He searches the closet, but it’s nowhere to be found.

Saeran is staring at the blank spot where the bag should’ve been- where he had left it.

Footsteps. _I’m an idiot!! Have I been found out!?_

Saeran leaps under MC’s bed and quickly procures his phone. If they found him out, he was sure they would talk about it in the chatroom. He checks the recent chatroom he missed.

The footsteps pass MC’s door and disappear into the distance. Saeran sighs in relief and chuckles a bit at his earlier reaction. According to the chatroom, Yoosung found the bag, but they didn’t know whose it was. Saeran was safe for now… although he knew he would have to take care of that situation immediately.

He emerges from under the bed and watches over MC. Surprisingly, she wasn’t shifting or whimpering this time around. Perhaps her body was adapting to it well. Third time’s the charm?

_But what am I going to do now?_ Saeran curses himself for being naïve and leaving all of the supplies in one bag- and _here_ nonetheless!

_I’m useless… _Perhaps he should just leave. If he couldn’t detox her, then he wouldn’t be doing anything different than providing another watch shift. They had cameras for that. Saeran decides to just let her rest. Plus, he could get some sleep.

“Sleep tight, MC. I’ll be back for you.” His hand hovers over her head. He retreats his gesture without touching her. As he turns to leave the side of her bed, Saeran sees the small rose on the nightstand.

He gently picks it up for a moment. It was a beautiful little rose, though a bit dehydrated.

Saeran walks to the window and admires the view. It was bittersweet to see such a lovely garden, knowing that these flowers’ fate was to be abused. It was painful to see the parallel between this existence and his own brother’s.

However, he didn’t expect to _literally_ see Luciel skip out into the garden. Saeran slips out of sight, then re-positions himself. He watches his brother while remaining hidden.

Luciel skips around the garden a bit. He looks like he is singing? Or talking? Saeran can’t make out what he is saying.

There’s a tug in his chest. A few tears escape Saeran’s eyes while he watches with an endearing smile.

_Some things never change. I’m still a crybaby, and you’re still a goof, aren’t you?_

His eyes widen as Luciel starts tearing flowers apart. Sometimes he’s screaming, sometimes it’s just a silent frenzy. Eventually, he seems to wear himself out. Saeran figures it must’ve been about fifteen minutes. Fifteen minutes of his eyes glued on his brother’s rage. Luciel suddenly turns to look at MC’s window.

Saeran turns quickly. He’s trembling. Anger? Fear? Regret? There were so many emotions going through him right now. Up until this moment, he wasn’t able to turn away from the horrid scene either; he didn’t deserve to look away from his brother.

When he peeks down at the garden again, Luciel was gone. Saeran slowly reaches his hand out to where his brother was in the garden, but his hand stops on the glass window.

_You always said you would protect me… And then I left you._

“Saeyoung… please wait for me…” he says quietly. Does he even deserve to ask that? He questions himself, but he doesn’t allow these depressing thoughts to embed themselves in his mind. Saeran is determined that he will be able to fix everything someday.

He supposes he should go now. Saeran turns to MC to give her a final look before he heads out. He was startled to see that MC was sitting up in her bed, staring back at him!

MC blushes and gives a little wave. “Sorry… you looked so focused- I didn’t want to call out to you.”

_Wha…? She’s awake?? I thought she would be out all night…_ _this girl never fails to surprise me. _Saeran must still be gawking because MC chuckles a bit. He snaps out of it.

“MC, how are you feeling?” He goes over to her bedside. “I’m sorry… I couldn’t detox you this time. They found my supplies.”

MC looks up at Saeran, an eyebrow raised. “You detoxed me? When?”

_Oh right. How would she know._

“Last night. I detoxed you twice, actually.” Saeran looks somber, recalling last night's events. “Did you feel better during the day?”

“I see… I thought I imagined you in a dream or something.” MC looks thoughtful. “I _was_ feeling better throughout the day! But actually… I feel great right now too~”

Huh? Saeran looks over MC. She wasn’t shaking nor did she seem to be in pain. She did sway a bit, as though her balance was off, and her eyes were a bit… different?

“Are you checking me out Saeran?” She waggles her eyebrows.

“Yeah, you seem like you’re doing well. How is this happening?” The comment goes right over Saeran’s head while a perplexed look is painted across his face.

As he’s inspecting her, he notices that MC’s face had gotten really red.

“MC, are you alright?” He sits next to her and puts a hand on her forehead. “You’re hot MC!” Saeran goes to his bag for some water.

“_You’re_ hot…” MC slurs. Saeran didn’t seem to hear her. MC pouts.

_<strike>What am I doing?</strike> -Saeran took care of me last night! -Why am I doing this? <strike>-It’s like my body is just doing whatever it wants!</strike> -Did Saeran say ‘Saeyoung’ earlier? -Are you making a move or not? -<strike>Wait, this isn’t the time for this?</strike> -I wonder what Saeran saw out the window -What do you want MC? -What are you waiting for? -Saeran is so thoughtful… _MC’s mind is racing, but she feels detached and light-headed. Were those thoughts even hers?

She drinks some of the water Saeran offers her. She looks at him blankly when suddenly a desperate look covers her face.

“Saeran… I don’t know what’s happening…” She looks at her hands before holding herself. She starts swaying back and forth. “All these voices that sound like me are talking in my head all at once, and it’s confusing…”

“MC…” Saeran doesn’t know what to say. He sits next to MC, hoping that his company offered some comfort. He curses himself again over the lost supplies. “What are the voices saying?”

“They are… a lot of them are talking about you.” MC blushes again. She stops swaying. She adoringly gazes into Saeran’s eyes and scoots closer to him.

Saeran doesn’t know how to respond, but his heart skipped a beat.

“Bad things, right? I’m so sorry I haven’t been on top of protecting you…” Tears start to form in his eyes. Saeran feels like he hasn’t been able to protect anyone his whole life. He feels heavy as his eyes move naturally to the floor; he can’t face her.

“Saeran…” MC gently turns his face towards hers with a shaking hand. “You are such a perfectionist.” She laughs and gently smiles. “Your face tells me you haven’t gotten any sleep… was it because of me?”

“Haha… these dark circles are just part of my personality now.” But she was right: Saeran was exhausted. He sighs.

“Sometimes I wish I could do nothing and just watch the sky.” He looks up.

Why did he say that? Perhaps the late-night sentiments had gotten ahold of him.

“O-oh! But of course, I would do anything to make sure you are safe first, MC! So, don’t worry about my lack of sleep. It’s natural to me anyway.” He smiles back at her.

_It feels nice to <strike>have someone care for me</strike> have another friend I can talk to._

“But I know you must have worked so hard for me… Thank you for caring for me, Saeran.” They stare into each other’s eyes. MC places a hand on one of his. She inches a bit closer.

Maybe he could just do nothing and get lost in her eyes instead…

Saeran is mesmerized; he fails to notice MC's face get close to his until she was only a few inches away. He’s surprised but doesn’t back away. Does she want to tell him something?

MC leans in and places her lips on his. She tenderly kisses him, a soft gentleness that young man had never known. His mind goes blank, and he found himself kissing her back. MC delicately cups his cheek with her hand.

Saeran can feel his heart pounding out of his chest in this sweet, silent moment. His mind catches up.

Blue's eyes flutter open as Saeran quickly breaks the kiss and backs away.

“M-MC! I'm so sorry, I don’t know what came over me-“ he stutters. His face is burning up.

But MC crawls towards him and closes the gap. She giggles. “Why are you apologizing? I'm the one who kissed you~” The content, dazed look on her face makes Saeran feel guilty.

“MC… you aren’t sober; this isn’t right.” Saeran tries to back away, but unsuccessfully falls backward onto the bed as MC pushes him down.

MC quickly crawls on top of him on her knees, putting her arms down on either side of him. “Saeran~”

The young man blinks in shock from MC pushing him down like that. He tries to escape from under MC, but she grabs his arms to pin him down. “Saeran!” She laughs. “Quit playing hard to get!” MC leans down and kisses his neck. Saeran shudders from the unexpected sensation. She presses her lips on his again, but he breaks away and turns his face in response.

“MC, please stop… this isn’t you, this is the drugs,” insists Saeran.

“But I want to…” MC is still pinning him down. She leans down and hears his heart pounding. She lifts herself up to look at him. “I like you Saeran…” her glazed eyes adoringly gazed down at him, her cheeks red. She lowers her bottom half onto him, her knees on either side of him. MC sits and puts her hands on Saeran's chest.

Saeran is frozen. He can’t just throw her off, but maybe he should at this point… it was going too far.

“MC… this isn’t that kind of story. **Please get off m**-me-” demanded Saeran, but he was cut short. MC started moving her hips against him with an indescribable look of pleasure on her face.

_This feels… _Saeran’s eyes widen, and he's undeniably lost in her expression, in her movement. He gulps. He feels a hunger grow in him; he wants to move against her too…

But Saeran fights his urges. “I’m sorry, this isn’t what I want!” He pushes MC off of him -as politely as he could- as he stumbles off the bed. Saeran, on his hands and knees, gives the biggest sigh of relief. He had faced some life-threatening situations with the agency, but nothing was cutting it as close as this was. Saeran refuses to let his mind wander.

Sniffling sounds coming from the bed make his heart freeze. MC is sobbing.

She looks at Saeran between wiping her face and eyes with her hands, distraught. Her brown hair cascaded over her face. “Why don’t you believe me Saeran? I really like you a lot…” She turns away in embarrassment. “I thought you liked me too!”

Saeran's heart is in agony to see MC cry, but he knew he had to stop wherever the actions on the bed were going.

“MC, please don’t misunderstand; I'm sorry! I-“ He gulps. “I _do_ like you too…” Saeran bites his cheek. “And honestly, I would love to spend more time to get to know you… uh, including intimately one day-“ He smiles timidly and darts his eyes away. “-but not right now, and not like this.”

Saeran faces MC with a serious look. “So yes, this is a confession: I like you MC, and I care about you deeply.” His face turns red. His heartbeat didn't even have a chance to slow down since escaping her grasp.

MC stares at him blankly. She blinks, and Saeran sees a sparkle in her smiling eyes. “For someone so serious, I wouldn’t expect you to be such a romantic, Saeran~” She beams at him. “I will remember this, even if everything is hazy right now. So, don’t reject me when I’m sober okay!!” She laughs, clearly giddy.

MC looks at Saeran, blushes and looks away, embarrassed. She continues to sneak glances at him, giggling. Saeran shakes his head.

“How old are you!? Just look at me if you want to look at me!” He says, exasperated. This was incredibly embarrassing.

But Saeran was giddy too. He was already imagining picnics and gardening and cooking. He would definitely grow her bouquets of flowers and bring her random gifts…

MC lies back in bed. She still felt light-headed, but she felt like her heart was glowing. It was pleasant and comforting. She yawned.

Saeran perked up, hearing her yawn. “Good cue, we should both go to sleep.” Saeran gets up and fixes any sheets that were disrupted during their struggle. “By the way MC, I'm going to get you out of here in a day or two-“ he looks over at MC, and she was already asleep. Never mind. He notes to text her later about it.

Saeran makes sure that her head rests on her pillow, and that her position matched earlier's. He grabs his stuff on his way to the window. Thinking of Vanderwood’s confiscated supplies, Saeran knows just who to discuss this with. He opens the window.

“MC, you’re doing amazing.” He whispers in farewell. He sneaks out of Magenta, through the garden, and to his hideout. No evidence was left behind that he was there, except maybe the resting smile on MC’s face.


	10. Back Again

_Saeran…_

MC’s eyes flutter open. After her fourth night in Magenta, Saeran’s name was the first thing on her mind. She sits up, looking for him.

The room is empty. A soft sunlight comes from the window- it must be morning. It’s peaceful. MC lays back in her bed.

_Why was I looking for Saeran?_

Disappointed in not seeing him, tears come to her eyes. She suddenly recalls the night before, and her eyes widen.

<strike> _OMG WHAT HAVE I DONE-_ </strike>

MC slams her face into her pillow and screams out of embarrassment. She agonizes over the memory. MC feels a regret and shame so painfully profound that it feels like even the room was judging her. White noise sounds like screaming in her mind. Her head starts throbbing; she freezes.

_That’s right- I’m still affected by the drugs… I need to calm down…_

MC takes deep breaths. She’s nervous. Knowing that she’s affected by the drugs does not change the fact that she is affected.

_It doesn’t matter if I know… I’m not fully in control._ She clasps her hands together tightly. She tries to focus her thoughts.

_Dear Drugged Me, please don’t get yourself into trouble!_ MC pleads internally.

There’s a light knock at the door. MC composes herself. “Yes, come in~!!”

The door opens to reveal friendly mint eyes and a welcoming smile. The Savior stands in the doorway. “Good morning, MC! I don’t know if you saw the chatroom, but I would like you to spend the day with me, if you don’t mind!”

“Oh! I haven’t seen the chatroom yet!” MC looks around desperately for her phone. “But I would love to spend the day with you, my Savior!” She starts to scramble out of bed, almost falling.

“Wait- I just wanted to check in with you first. I’ll come and fetch you a little later, so please take your time getting ready.” The Savior bows and closes the door.

MC blinks. _I was acting normal, right? _ She can’t tell. _But then again, they drugged me so I should act like I am drugged? But if I’m acting drugged when I am drugged then it would definitely be bad… Or wait… so no acting? Or if I act like I am not drugged I will still act drugged?_

MC shakes her head. She is thinking way too hard.

♥♥♥

“…alright, that should be enough for now.” Typing sounds come to a stop. Saeran stretches and looks outside the window of the cabin. The beautiful sight of the mountain side in the morning welcomes him. He yawns.

Saeran had a peaceful three hours of sleep last night. Despite the high-stakes situation he had narrowly avoided, the thought of MC reciprocating his feelings had put his mind at ease. He awoke earlier feeling motivated.

_How is MC doing?_ He switches his laptop to the Magenta cameras.

MC seems to be changi- Saeran quickly closes the camera feed. He blinks.

_MC. You have always changed in the bathroom before this._

He shakes his head. _No, no this is probably unrelated to me. It’s her room, so she can do as she likes. _He decides to get some air.

Saeran exits his hideout. It’s a wooden cabin far enough from Magenta that it wouldn’t be visible or easily noticed, and near enough that he could get there quickly if need be. Good thing he found this place the last time he was here.

He strolls around the mountain side. The flora of the area was different than what he saw often in his neighborhood. A whimsical smile rests on Saeran’s face as he admires and takes pictures of plants- he looks forward to showing MC these pictures later. When he circles back to the cabin, he takes a seat on a full patch of grass and leans against one of the walls of the cabin. He looks up at the sky.

There’s a vibration in his pocket. Saeran quickly answers the call.

“Good morning!”

He listens.

“You are? That’s good.”

“Thank you. Yes.”

“Alright. Let me know if you need anything.”

“Of course. Good luck.” He hangs up.

_Alright, let’s get back to it._

Saeran heads back into the cabin and grabs a bowl of ice cream before returning to his laptop. He goes back to the cameras.

MC was no longer in her room. Saeran switches the cameras until he finds her walking down the hall. She is with V, and they seem to be chatting. Nothing hostile seems to be going on at the moment.

They’re on the second floor. V knocks on one of the believer’s doors, and the two go into the room.

Saeran minimizes the window and puts down his bowl. Only some of the guest rooms have cameras connected to the main system- one of them being MC’s room- but most personal rooms seem not to. Saeran suspects there is a separate surveillance system, but it may be offline, so he hasn’t been able to inject himself.

He starts getting counterattacks from Luciel. Perfect timing. Saeran goes at it with his brother, slowing down when he gets ahead. His brother certainly had talent, Saeran acknowledged.

_But I doubt he received a top-class education like me- and with his casual carefree attitude… Sorry bro, the playing field isn’t level._

They go at it a bit more. After some time, Saeran notices in the corner that MC and V were back in the hallway. Coincidentally, there’s an opening in his battle with Luciel and Saeran manages to get some more information from the Mint Eye database.

_Let’s stop for now._

He maximizes the cameras. Saeran was about to switch to another when he notices that the current camera was not automatically rotating; it was following MC.

He smirks. Saeran cannot control the movement of the cameras. _So, I’m not the only one who can’t get his eyes off her, huh? _

When MC and V are out of sight, Saeran finally switches cameras, and the next camera follows MC as well. He inspects her face. She seems to be in a daze, but fortunately, not upset. Saeran hopes that means nothing too terrible took place in that believer’s room. V and MC enter another believer’s room.

Saeran picks up his bowl of ice cream again after switching to another camera.

♥♥♥

“E-excuse me, Mr. Yoosung,” A believer bows before the young man at the entrance of medical ward.

“I’m studying.” Yoosung does not look up from his textbook. With his elbows on the table, Yoosung rests his head on his hands. He shuffles through some notes.

“I’m sorry for interrupting you. Mr. Jumin had mentioned in the cafeteria during breakfast that if anyone knew about a bag he was describing, to speak to him.” The believer fidgets with their hands as they approach, slowly. “But I feel more comfortable with you Mr. Yoosung. Do you know about the bag? It’s mine.”

Yoosung feels satisfied that a believer would go to him instead of Jumin. He was always underacknowledged by the other execs. With a raised eyebrow, Yoosung looks at the believer.

They were short and petite. Their hair was hidden by their hood, and Yoosung immediately noticed their striking brown eyes. Or maybe hazel? There seemed to be some green behind them. They had a friendly face.

“Perhaps. Tell me how you lost it.” Yoosung squints his eyes. How did this believer’s bag end up in MC’s closet?

“Yes. It’s my personal bag. There’s something I desire, and it’s related to the contents of the bag. I spoke to Ms. MC a few days ago, right before her ceremony, and she shared my interest. She wanted to help me and asked to borrow my supplies, so I lent her my bag. I didn’t realize that it was lost under her possession.” The believer bows. “I apologize for any confusion.”

_That does sound like MC, offering to help a believer! She’s just like our Founder…_

“Ah I see. No worries! She didn’t lose them actually,” Yoosung insists. “She took good care of them -they were in her closet next to her own things! I… actually took the bag because it wasn’t hers. My apologies.” Yoosung looks away, embarrassed, and goes to retrieve the bag.

_I let my suspicions get ahead of me again! I hope this believer still thinks highly of me… The others are definitely going to make fun of me for this…_

Yoosung places the bag on the table in front of him. There was only one more thing that had to be addressed-

“Why is my bag locked?” inquired the believer.

Yoosung is taken aback. “Huh? _You _didn’t lock it?”

“No… We are not allowed to have locks, Mr. Yoosung, you know that. I wouldn’t break our paradise’s rules!” The believer looks at Yoosung incredulously. “Perhaps someone locked it?”

There’s a moment of awkward silence. Yoosung, dumbfounded, mirrors the believer’s blank stare.

“Oh! MC probably locked it.” Yoosung chuckles and taps his forehead. “Of course, she is the only one who could have a lock since she just arrived. She probably just wanted to keep your things safe!”

_Oh MC, what a thoughtful girl!_

“I see… I will visit her to ask her to unlock it then, if that’s alright?” The believer humbly bows.

Yoosung evaluates this believer. They seemed sincere…

“Alright! Tell MC I’m sorry for taking it!” Yoosung sheepishly smiles. “I apologize for interfering.” He hands the bag to the believer.

“No, I understand how the situation may have been confusing. Besides, I was able to talk to you Mr. Yoosung, so I am honored.” The believer heads to the door after a final bow. “Thank you so much again. For eternal paradise.”

Yoosung is blushing. _They were honored to talk to me!?_ Perhaps he should rethink his standing amongst the executives. Spending time with the believers seems to be paying off!

Pleased, Yoosung goes back to his table with a fresh resolve to study hard. He should be a good role model to the believers that look up to him.

The believer heads out down the hall and into a room in one of the branching hallways. They sit on the bed with a relieved sigh. They spend some time waiting, but they are patient.

Eventually, something vibrates in their pocket. Noticing that some of their blond hair had gotten loose on the walk over, they neatly tuck it back to a hidden position within their hood before checking their phone.

* * *

**Saeran: Smooth! You really know how to work this place don’t you!**

**Rika: Well, I did create this place… Of course I know it.**

**Saeran: True. Anyways, MC is in her room now.**

**Saeran: I will text her the instructions, and I’ll tell you when to go.**

**Rika: Yes, thank you Ray.**

**Saeran: Of course, Rika.**

Rika closes her eyes. She thinks about her interactions today. She had not seen Yoosung in a long time -or the others she had run into today. When she infiltrates from time to time, she usually stays low and in the background. It is unlikely to run into them in those situations since they are so busy with other matters. Plus, interacting with them as a believer was completely different. And dangerous. And should be avoided if it can be helped.

She smiles. Yoosung is still studying. At least convincing him to go to college was one good thing she had done for him.

Rika receives the sign to visit MC, and she heads over to her room with the bag. She knocks on her door, and MC immediately answers.

“Hello, Ms. MC. I hope you weren’t worried about my bag; I received it back from Mr. Yoosung.” Rika lifts her bag in front of her. “He deeply apologizes for taking it.”

MC simply looks dazed. Eventually she nods.

“I wasn’t aware you locked it. It caused a bit of suspicion with the executives. But I understand your intention, thank you for your kindness. Could you unlock it for me?” Rika tilts her head as she inquires.

MC blinks a few times. “Yes. Come with me, I left the key in the bathroom.” She allows Rika inside and they go to the bathroom.

Once out of view of the camera, Rika takes the key from her own pocket and unlocks the bag, reaching for the supplies. She quickly prepares a mixture for MC while keeping her voice low.

“MC, I’m making you something that you have to drink, alright? **Saeran** told me to give it to you. You _cannot_ tell anyone, do you understand?” Rika glances at MC for confirmation.

“…I’m confused.” MC looks at the believer incredulously. “Who are you?”

Rika smiles at her. “Sorry MC, I can’t tell you right now. Especially if you can’t recognize me yourself in your current state. Just drink this and you’ll know later.” She finishes preparing the drink and extends it to MC. “I’m just a believer you were trying to help.”

MC squints at the drink, but obediently takes it from Rika’s hands and drinks it.

“Good girl,” Rika whispers as she takes the container back. She prepares one more mixture and hides it in the bathroom. “MC, put this in one of your bags later.”

MC nods. Rika packs up the rest of the stuff, pocketing the lock and key. She leads MC back into the bedroom.

Rika bows at MC’s doorway before turning to leave. “Thank you for your concern Ms. MC, but I will take my stuff back now since you are still adapting. No need to help me.” She smiles.

MC smiles back. “For eternal paradise.”

“Thank you for all your hard work, Ms. MC. For eternal paradise.” Rika’s smile was sincere, but melancholic. She leaves the room, closing the door behind her and taking a few steps before she narrowly runs into V.

They make eye contact, and Rika quickly averts her eyes. They barely dodged each other. “M-my apologies, my Savior, for eternal paradise.” Rika hears him start to apologize, but she quickly walks away before V can stop her. She goes down the stairs and back to the safe room.

As she sits on the bed, Rika feels her heart pounding out of her chest. Tears form in her eyes. In that brief moment of eye contact, she remembered how much she missed those comforting mint eyes. Her heart aches a bit.

_Oh V… you are still as handsome as ever. I wonder if you still think of me…_

Rika blinks back her tears- she could think about this later. She takes a deep breath, patiently waiting in the room for Saeran’s cue. When she receives it, she makes her way down to the first floor, sneaks through the garden, and successfully exits Magenta without a second glance.

_Good bye… again._

_♥♥♥_

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Yoosung: The bag was successfully brought back to its original owner!**

**Yoosung: They let MC borrow their stuff**

**Yoosung: So that’s why it was in her closet.**

**Yoosung: And MC locked it to protect it ^^;**

**Luciel: Always so suspicious lololol**

**Jaehee: Glad it was sorted out in a timely manner**

**Jaehee: I will take note of it**

**Luciel: Ya, they just got it unlocked in MC’s room too**

**Zen: Wow, all that fuss for nothing huh Yoosung?**

**Luciel: He just wanted to make drama, that lil cutie~**

**Yoosung: :(**

**Jumin: So what was in the bag?**

**Yoosung: …**

**Luciel: ya what was in the bag**

**Luciel: was it a bomb**

**Jaehee: Please tell us it wasn’t anything dangerous.**

**Yoosung: …I forgot to ask**

**Zen: Seriously!?**

**Luciel: LOL**

**Jumin: lol**

**Jaehee: MC, please tell us since he forgot to ask ^^**

**MC: It was just some personal crafts**

**MC: They seemed fragile, so I put a lock as a visual reminder to not mindlessly toss it around **

**Zen: A fellow artist!**

**Jumin: That was very thoughtful of you.**

**MC: ya**

**Luciel: I’m an artist too!**

**-Savior enters the chatroom- **

**Savior: Who was that believer?**

**Luciel: I’m talented in the art of hacking B)**

**Savior: I’m not sure I’ve seen them before.**

**Savior: MC, did you know them?**

**Savior: I’m outside your room by the way**

**MC: I’m sorry my Savior, I didn’t really know them**

**MC: They were just a believer I was trying to help**

**MC: I’ll meet you outside my room, my Savior!**

**-MC left the chatroom-**

**Jaehee: It’s understandable my Savior, there are many believers**

**Jumin: Yes, it is possible that there are some you have yet to interact with**

**Yoosung: They look up to me though hehe~**

**Luciel: ** **Then they must be strange lololol**

**Zen: Nice Yoosung! Soon you’ll be as popular as me :)**

**Luciel: lol**

**Jaehee: Well, no one can really compare to you Zen!**

**Zen: It’s true. My beauty is uncontested.**

**Savior: …I will be sure to try to reach out to more of the believers.**

**Luciel: You are doing a great job, my Savior! **

**Luciel: Don’t be too hard on yourself.**

**Jumin: It’s true, you do the most to connect with the believers**

**Yoosung: Yeah, it’s true.**

**Savior: It’s only my job, as the Savior**

**Jaehee: And you execute your duties well!**

**Zen: You are definitely the most popular person for all the believers!**

**Savior: Yes, thank you everyone**

**Savior: I will remember your kind words!**

**Savior: I actually came into this chatroom to ask if any of you wanted to join MC and I for lunch.**

**Savior: We are quite busy, so I’m sorry to leave the chatroom so suddenly**

**Savior: but if you are interested, meet us in the cafeteria!**

**Savior: For eternal paradise.**

**-Savior left the chatroom-**

MC watches the Savior put his phone away into a back pocket. He looks up at MC.

“MC, the believer who asked you for help- they seemed familiar for some reason…” the Savior looks to the distance, pondering. “I think I would’ve remembered such intense hazel eyes, though.” He shrugs. “I’m sure I will have opportunities to run into them again.”

“Shall we, MC?” The Savior gestures in front of him. MC nods, and they begin walking- silently, but comfortably.

_Hm? The voices are quieter. <strike>-Did I know that woman?</strike> -She knew Saeran! -I can’t talk about it, don’t think about it… _MC shuts her eyes for a bit and takes a deep breath. Her stomach feels a bit off.

V glances at MC walking next to him. “Are you not feeling well, MC? You can rest if you are having a hard time…” She smiles and shakes her head, eyes still closed. V’s concern grows.

_That’s strange. She seemed like she was adapting well to the elixir earlier today. Perhaps we gave her too much?_

“No, really MC, you can rest if you need it,” he insists. He stops walking and gently grabs her shoulder.

_No, I can’t waste more time in bed! _Memories from the day before flood her head. She can feel the haze start to clear. MC opens her eyes and looks at him.

“I apologize, my Savior, I was just a bit unbalanced for a second. Please, let’s continue,” she assures him. “I would really like to spend time with you, my Savior. I would be sad to be left alone in my room…” A miserable expression spreads across her face.

“Oh! I see, never mind what I said then.” V smiles and waves his hand, as if to dismiss the notion. MC smiles back.

“Well, since no one else has requested me specifically right now, why don’t we go to the cafeteria to mingle?” A rhetorical question- the Savior had already said earlier that they were going to get lunch. They walk down to the cafeteria.

As they enter, the ambient noise of chatter and the clang of silverware fill their ears. A sudden splitting headache causes MC to stumble and hold her head. The Savior is quick to support her.

What should have been mild sounds felt like shrieks in MC’s mind. The sharp sounds felt like they pierced through her head. She covers her ears, looking down.

V has a supporting arm around her. He gives her a moment.

The sounds eventually fade back into a proper volume, and MC removes her hands and looks up. She looks around, bewildered. She can hear people talking actual tangible words. Footsteps and the creaking of seats can be discerned.

_Everything sounds normal again. _A wave of relief envelops her entire being.

She looks up at V. “O-oh, my apologies!” MC straightens herself and moves out of V’s arms. “I guess I was just hungrier than I thought~” She chuckles before heading towards the food.

The Savior isn’t convinced, but he lets it go. They grab some food and sit amongst a large group of believers.

“Hello everyone. Are you happy today?” V’s eyes sparkle like a father seeing his children. It would seem that the combined company of the Savior and MC made for great conversation. Laughter surrounds the group, a different kind than what MC expected -genuine laughter. MC’s mind races amidst conversation.

_Common topics the believers seem to talk about: the garden, food, personal issues, cherished people, the analysis of personal desire, the Savior, “happiness”…_

MC also tries to note any comments concerning the executives. Who really were they?

…Not surprisingly, not too many comments arise. MC supposes it is safer for them to not say anything at all. MC slowly develops how the believers see the executives: Zen is detached from them, but generally admired. Yoosung is considered approachable- but unpredictable. Jaehee is too busy to interact with them but seems to be the most relatable.

_Even the believers see she’s suffering…_

And both Jumin and Luciel are greatly feared. However, interactions involving them seem to require different approaches- Jumin must not be ignored under any circumstances, while Luciel… must be avoided at all times if possible: any and all time with either of them should be minimized.

MC feels fortunate to be an executive.

Surprisingly -or perhaps not surprisingly- many of the believers feel very comfortable with the Savior. Or pretend to be. MC had yet to see any believer wince, shy away, or hesitate in V’s presence. Some do hold their tongues, but she suspects it’s to prevent their words from reaching executive ears -not because of V himself.

Despite this, some have openly expressed their concerns to their Savior -some even being as bold as to speak negatively of an executive. MC wonders if the Savior reveals these woes to the executives directly or if he subtlety handles them himself. She presumes it would be the latter. MC could see V as a man willing to harbor everyone’s secrets.

She watches V listen to the believers. It felt as though he was absorbing everyone’s problems; how was it possible for one person to take responsibility for everyone? For someone so peaceful and mysterious, MC imagines the great burden hidden on his shoulders. Perhaps the believers’ comfort wasn’t insincere -they probably sensed V’s genuine desire to provide leadership and protection.

It was true that the believers had been exposed to horrible treatment over their time here -it was definitely not to be discounted. But it seemed that Mint Eye truly wanted to create a paradise, in their own twisted way. The believers could -theoretically- desire whatever they wanted, and V would really try to fulfill it.

_You are willing to do anything for their happiness, aren’t you V? You’ll do anything to be “The Savior.” They suffer because they stay here, but you keep them here because you want them to stop suffering._

_This world will never let you get the fulfillment you are desperate for…_

A slave in his own world that he had created, perhaps V was the most unfortunate one here. MC comes to understand that there must be more to learn about this man, and she could only wonder why V yearns for such an impossible paradise.

Entranced by the tragic beauty of the V’s self-sacrificial devotion, MC found herself embracing him. The conversation begins to slow to a halt.

V looks down in shock. “…MC?” She looks up at him.

“You are doing so great, my Savior. Please make sure you are taking care of yourself.” For the first time, MC sees his perfect mint eyes waver as they hold eye contact. V doesn’t know how to respond. Other voices suddenly chime in.

“Yes, my Savior! Thank you for always listening to us!”

“You are always so kind, my Savior!”

“Do you need anything, my Savior? We can help you with anything!”

“My Savior, you should rest more- we always see how busy you are!”

“My Savior, we never seem to ask you, are you happy today?”

V is speechless as praise and compliments flow from the believers. Even the believers that were not originally part of their table were now joining in to support their beloved Savior. Some even begin cheering for him.

To everyone’s surprise -and great dismay- tears begin to fall from mint eyes. MC takes a step back as everyone starts to frantically comfort their Savior. The believers are taking turns hugging him, patting him on the back. They shower appreciations and their caring thoughts for him. With a response like this, MC had no doubt that V must be doing his best for everyone.

As she watches the heartwarming scene, MC feels complicated. She’s sure of only one thing, and a fierce conviction forms in her heart.

_There are no villains- only victims of a cruel system._


	11. A Spark of Light

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The reaction to the cafeteria scene with V and MC.

Blue and green eyes are glued to the screen widen as MC embraces V. The cafeteria hushes to the point that they’re able to catch the last part of what MC says.

“…Please make sure you are taking care of yourself.”

Overflowing support erupts from the believers. V starts to cry, and MC backs away- a resolute expression on her face.

_Her influence… it’s-_

“She’s amazing-!” Rika has tears in her eyes as well. She’s on the edge of her seat.

_Yes, she is. _Saeran smiles. He satisfied, feeling that this moment confirmed that he had chosen the right person for the job.

Rika suddenly starts to sob next to the white-haired boy. Saeran’s heart drops, and he gently embraces her. They sit in silence for a while.

“…Rika?” Saeran knew Rika could be a bit sensitive, but he wasn’t sure what was troubling her.

“She would be so good for him!” Rika is covering her face. “She could help him find himself…!” She sobs hopelessly. Maybe her and V were not fated to be together, after all.

A pang of jealousy strikes Saeran. “…uhhh,” he holds his tongue, unsure how the noise escaped him in the first place.

“Hm?” Rika wipes her eyes and sees the expression on Saeran’s face. She knows this embarrassed look!

Rika’s misery disappears as she starts giggling despite herself. “No way… Ray you don’t…!”

“What are you talking about!?” Saeran snaps and looks away, face **red**\- almost matching the shade of his natural hair color. Rika excitedly gasps and practically tackles the boy, arms around him.

She shakes him excitedly, looking at him with a sentimental expression. “I never thought this day would come…!” Rika clutches her heart.

Saeran is too embarrassed to respond.

Rika looks at him with wide eyes. “You fell in love with the girl you had to watch? You? YOU!?” She says incredulously, shaking him some more. “Mr. Professional??”

_Don’t make me sound like a stalker!!_

“L-love!? I-I just like her now, that’s all!” Saeran pulls away from her.

“No, no~” Rika says coyly, shaking her head. “You liked her since you first saw her months ago! This is definitely something more. Tell me the truth Ray.” She stares intensely with a smug look on her face.

_How can I escape this torture?? _Saeran’s blushing face was hidden behind his hands; he turns away from the wretched woman. He refuses to respond.

“Ok, Ray, I take back my comment. It seems you’ve already laid claim on her, so she isn’t available for my V. I suppose it works out~” she says playfully, shrugging. She gets up and begins to pace around the boy. Rika waits for his reaction.

Saeran glares at her through his hands. “MC isn’t an object you can just claim dibs on Rika.”

“OH hoho?” Rika still cannot believe it. “Defending her like that! Such a gentleman…”

She tilts her head inquisitively.

“Wait… You sound so confident- do you know if she likes you back!?” Rika waits, her mouth half open -ready to be delightfully surprised.

Saeran lowers his hands from his face. He glares at Rika, but she can see that it’s taking all of his willpower not to smile.

“If it’s not just the drugs, then… she likes me back…” He says timidly. The corners of his lips curl into a small giddy smile, but he chews on his cheeks, trying to hold it back.

“OMG~” Rika is squealing and shaking Saeran. She bounces around, hands on his shoulders. Even though he is just as excited as she is, he composes himself. He knew it was hopeless though; _all_ reactions fuel this woman -there’s no winning.

She suddenly stops jumping around and looks at Saeran, who’s still seated.

_What is she thinking now… _Saeran glares at his friend. He prepares for the worst.

“The drugs were involved in her confession…?” Rika’s starts looking at him with odd curiosity. “Oh? OH!” Her eyes sparkle mischievously. She gasps and takes a step away from him.

“Saeran! Y-you didn’t!?”

“What are you gasping about…” Saeran starts to get up.

Rika shakes her head. “No, no… you are such a pure boy…” she mumbles.

“Oh…? All the more reason for you to give in to her advances?” She raises a single eyebrow at him.

“A-advances??” The memory of MC on top of him flashes through his mind. He quickly shakes his head and arms. “N-no! NO! NOTHING HAPPENED!” He almost falls backwards while getting out of his chair.

“Something happened!!” Rika is laughing. “My little Ray is a man now!” She puts her hands on her cheeks.

“I just said **n-nothing** happened!!” Saeran cannot handle this humiliation. Covering his face, he quickly turns and stumbles to leave the cabin.

“Ray~!” Rika calls after him as he briskly exits the door. “Tell me about it later!!”

“Vanderwood is going to love this when I tell him!!”

Saeran walks quickly until he can no longer hear her squealing from the cabin.

♥♥♥

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Luciel: …**

**Luciel: MC**

**Luciel: are you**

**Luciel: ARE YOU A SUPER HERO**

**Zen: What are you talking about??**

**Jumin: I witnessed it.**

**Jumin: Her influence is powerful.**

**Jaehee: I was moved as well…**

**Zen: Did I miss something;;**

**Yoosung: Wow~**

**Yoosung: MC is just like the Founder, isn’t she!?**

**Yoosung: I haven’t seen the believers like this before!**

**Luciel: lol if you’ve never seen it then how is MC like the Founder?**

**Jumin: I see no resemblance.**

**Yoosung: Oh… okay;**

**Zen: What did MC do?**

**-Savior enters the chatroom-**

**Savior: Hello everyone!**

**Savior: I see that some of you saw the commotion in the cafeteria a few hours ago ^^;**

**Luciel: MY SAVIOR DON’T CRY**

**Savior: Haha… That was a bit embarrassing…**

**Jumin: It is important to listen to your feelings**

**Savior: Yes, you are right Jumin**

**Savior: MC… she moved the believers into expressing their support**

**Savior: That was all**

**Jaehee: My Savior, you act like it was not a commotion at all**

**Jaehee: All the believers in the cafeteria took part in it**

**-MC enters the chatroom-**

**Luciel: It was an explosion of emotions!!!**

**Luciel: Cries of love and support!**

**Luciel: It was like Jaehee at Zen’s performances!!**

**Luciel: ALL OF THE BELIEVERS WERE JAEHEE**

**Jaehee: …**

**Jumin: lol**

**Savior: I was touched.**

**Savior: MC, thank you…**

**MC: It was nothing :)**

**Yoosung: MC just joined and the believers already love her!**

**Yoosung: and I’ve been playing with them for so long;;;**

**MC: owned**

**Jaehee: lol**

**Luciel: lolololol**

**Savior: MC, I hope you don’t mind**

**Savior: I’m sorry to cut our day short**

**Savior: But I’m going to rest for the day**

**Savior: I… have some things I need to think about**

**Savior: Please take the day to yourself as well**

**MC: Oh~ we should all rest!** **♥**

**Luciel: OWO**

**Savior: Hm, yes! Everyone should rest today.**

**Savior: It is my request that everyone should rest today.**

**Jaehee: MC**

**Jaehee: ** _ **You are my hero.** _

**Yoosung: Yay!**

**Luciel: u weren’t gonna do anything anyway Yoosung lolol**

**Yoosung: Well now I don’t have to feel bad about it ^^**

**Luciel: I want to rest too T_T**

**Luciel: But**

**Luciel: I’m defending against the hacker… **

**Luciel: Even as we speak T_T**

**MC: T_T**

**Jumin: F**

**Yoosung: Jumin LOL**

**MC: I’ll cast a magic spell!!**

**MC: Hacking gods!! Please let Luciel rest for today** **♥**

**MC: ** **♥Please** **♥**

**MC: He works so hard T_T**

**Zen: MC is so cute!**

**Zen: Luciel you are so lucky;**

**Jaehee: …There’s no way that will work**

**Savior: I’m sorry Luciel, it cannot be helped**

**Luciel: !!!**

**Zen: ?**

**Luciel: lol wtf**

**Luciel: The attacks actually stopped**

**Yoosung: …Is MC the hacker??**

**MC: lol im the hacker**

**Luciel: lol**

**Luciel: No u aren’t, I can see u through the camera ^^**

**MC: ya**

**MC: I stopped hacking**

**Jaehee: MC… please don’t play around;;**

**Savior: It must be a coincidence**

**MC: I prayed to the hacker gods I told u**

**Jumin: MC is too powerful.**

**Zen: Wait what;;**

**Zen: Luciel you are joking right?**

**Luciel: MC… **

**Luciel: ARE YOU ACTUALLY A SUPER HERO**

**Luciel: TELL ME THE TRUTH**

**MC: ya**

**Luciel: !!!**

**Luciel: …haha**

**Luciel: It was probably a coincidence ^^**

**Luciel: I’ll stay on standby in case they come back.**

**Savior: Well, in the meantime **

**Savior: Get some rest**

**Savior: Everyone have a peaceful day :)**

**Savior: Thank you all for your hard work!**

**Savior: I’ll be in my room if you need me.**

**Savior: For eternal paradise.**

**-Savior left the chatroom-**

**MC: ** **♥**

**Jumin: ** **♥**

**Zen: Ew, gross!**

**Zen: MC~ I have a question for you!**

**Jaehee: MC, do you want to hang out?**

**Luciel: So direct!**

**Zen: Jaehee beat me to it;;**

**Luciel: I want to hang out** **♥**

**Yoosung: Let’s all hang out!**

**Zen: …**

**MC: Sounds fun!**

**Jumin: I want to spend the day with Elizabeth the 3rd.**

**MC: I want to meet her Mr. Han**

**Jumin: …please do not call me that**

**Jumin: Hm.**

**Jumin: Why don’t you all come over?**

**Yoosung: !!**

**Luciel: ELLY**

**Jumin: wait;;**

**Luciel: IM COMING OVER**

**-Luciel left the chatroom-**

**Jumin: …**

**MC: Me too! Me too!**

**MC: See you all soon!**

**MC: For eternal paradise** **♥**

**-MC left the chatroom-**

MC puts her phone down. Sitting on the edge of the bed, MC falls backwards, lying down and closing her eyes for a moment. She sits back up and looks at the camera. Smiling, MC makes a heart with her hands.

Her phone vibrates.

* * *

**Saeran: Stop that, Luciel will think you’re flirting with him**

**MC: Who said I wasn’t**

**Saeran: Me, because we both know he’s headed to Jumin's room**

**MC: Then we both know I was flirting with you^^**

**Saeran: lmao you’re on drugs**

**Saeran: That’s exactly what I’m saying MC**

**Saeran: Stop flirting with me via camera**

**MC: Can I flirt with you via here then**

**Saeran: No.**

**MC: :(**

**Saeran: :)**

**MC: >:(**

**Saeran: :)**

**MC: I’ll take that as a yes then**

MC stares at her phone, but there’s no immediate response.

Her phone vibrates from a separate private message.

* * *

**Rika: It’s definitely a yes**

_Rika? _Suddenly the image of the believer from earlier flashes through her mind. MC realizes: those believer's hazel eyes weren’t glassy from the drugs like everyone else.

_Brown contacts over green eyes! Rika was the one who visited me earlier!_ _Oh~ then they must be with each other._

MC smiles and looks at the camera. She waggles her eyebrows.

Her phone vibrates again. MC rolls her eyes.

_Alright, alright. I’ll quit doing it._

The message is not from Saeran.

* * *

**Luciel: Hey**

**Luciel: We are all at Jumins**

**Luciel: wyd**

**MC: hacking**

**Luciel: haha… you shouldn’t make jokes like that;;**

**Luciel: I had a heart attack just now T_T**

**MC: lol**

**MC: :)**

**Luciel: MC...**

**Luciel: You aren’t with the enemy right?**

**MC: I’m not your enemy Luciel**

_None of us are… That isn’t a lie. Though you may not believe it. _She adds another message.

**MC: I promise**

**Luciel: Ooh a promise!**

**Luciel: Promises are dangerous.**

**MC: It’s one I can keep :)**

**Luciel: I was only kidding MC ^^**

But was he? MC doesn’t bother to respond. She puts her phone down and lies back on the bed once more. Checking the time revealed it was only 4pm, but she felt exhausted. Emotionally. It was worth it. She was glad she was able to make some progress on understanding their mysterious Savior.

A long sigh escapes her. It’s been a hazy few days, but things were finally starting to clear up. She gets up, brushes her brown hair, and heads to Jumin’s room. It’s a short walk; he’s the next room over.

♥♥♥

It had been a long time since V had heard such kind words. When was the last time?

_‘Please take care of yourself, V. I love you- I always will.’_

Ah yes. Maybe that was what brought him to tears. A long sigh escapes him, and hopelessness engulfs his heart, making him feel heavy. Laying on his bed that was too big for one person, V doesn’t want to move -or do anything. He looks out the window, at the clear sky that was a blue similar, but different, to his own eyes. That blue looked more peaceful.

He hadn’t heard Rika’s voice speak to him since she left him in the middle of that night. It was her final farewell as he fell asleep that night -though at the time V didn’t know it was a farewell.

He thought about Rika a lot more than usual today. V wasn’t sure what it was exactly. He knew part of it was having MC accompany him. Though he had gotten used to fulfilling the Savior duties on his own at this point, he and Rika used to check on the believers together. That was for years.

As odd of a connection it was, V felt like the believer with the bag had also reminded him Rika.

_Their hazel eyes had a hint of green in them, was that why? Hm…or maybe because they were the same height?_

V wasn’t sure if that was really enough of a connection. He was sure he would run into them another time, so perhaps there was no use trying to make sense of it now.

His mind shifted to another topic: the believers. V felt a light inside him that caused his darkness to ebb away, even if it was just for a moment. What was this sensation? There was something else in him, aside from gratitude. He felt… as though he mattered. He felt like he truly existed.

He never realized that the believers thought so highly of him- that they even cared for his well-being. That they would comfort him when he fell apart.

_What is it that I want?_ He drew a blank. Perhaps he should revisit this topic with Jumin. Or MC. V starts feeling complicated; it's surprising that it even mattered to him: what he wanted. When had it become important?

Was this the “self-worth” Jumin loved to preach to him about? Never giving it a second thought, V had always figured that serving others was proof of his self-worth.

_Maybe the believers have their own views of self-worth. I should ask them later._

For a split second, he wondered if the believers were happy here.

?

What kind of question was that… Of course, the paradise that he and Rika created would be perfect. The believers seem content enough.

Except Rika left. If it were perfect, surely she wouldn’t have left. So, there must be something wrong…

What was wrong?

V broods on it a bit further. Did she get tired of all of them? Were their friends the problem? They were an interesting group of individuals. Was it because Jumin doesn’t understand other people sometimes? Jaehee is always tired and busy doing work? Maybe Zen is too obsessed with what other people think? Yoosung always gets distracted and procrastinates? Was it because Luciel sees life as a huge joke?

He looks up at the ceiling.

V sighs. But what was wrong with all of that? Though they were a bit odd, they weren’t that horrible. He just let them do as they wished.

Once again, V draws a blank. Disappointment washes over him as he thought he was coming to a breakthrough, but it was the same conclusion as always. Suddenly, a new thought comes to him.

_…Is letting them do what they want wrong? _

V frowns, unsure if his thoughts were even going anywhere. Did that even make sense? It should be obvious that he should let his friends do as they wished; he only wanted them to be as comfortable as possible.

He feels like he’s so close to understanding, but he knows there’s something missing…

_I’ll figure it out Rika… and I’ll fix everything._

He absentmindedly runs a hand through his hair. It was getting a bit long. He wishes that someone could just tell him the answer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi everyone! I have an update: I just got hired so my posting schedule will change! Originally I posted every few days, but I will switch to posting weekly: either on Friday or Saturday! Thank you to those that are enjoying the story so far, and I hope you all continue to enjoy it!


	12. It Has Nothing To Do With You

Jumin was playing with his adorable white cat on his couch. Despite taking allergy medication, Zen still sat farthest away -at the windowsill while Yoosung sat on a backwards chair nearby. Jaehee and MC sat next to each other on another couch. Luciel was simply sitting on the floor at the center of the room.

MC felt like she was back at the luncheon, laughing and chatting with the other executives- though Jumin's was definitely much more comfortable.

Almost. Now that MC understood what fueled this place, everything was in a different light. She cringes at the hazy memory of her impulsive confrontations.

She notes to get to know the members on a more personal level. If MC really wanted to make an impact in this place, she understood she had to have a firm grasp on their “desires.” It was what guided their drugged minds, after all. Speaking of drugs, she was shocked -although perhaps she shouldn’t be- that it was a casual topic amongst the executives. The believers seemed to fear it…

…while Luciel casually drinks it in front of them. Amidst their conversation. Is this normal for them?

Luciel catches MC staring. He grins, extending his drink to her. “Do you want some, MC?”

She very visibly cringes away. Luciel laughs at her response.

Jaehee shakes her head. “She’s still adapting Luciel. Don’t tease her!” She shoots him a disapproving look.

He grins, taking another swig. MC fails to hide her curiosity.

“MC, if you keep gaping at me like that, I might pour elixir in your mouth!” His eyes sparkle mischievously. MC feels her stomach turn.

“Oh~ but you’d probably like mine best because it’s sweet!” He tilts his head back to finish the rest of his drink.

Jaehee reads the horror on MC's face. “MC, don’t worry, Luciel just drinks a lot of the elixir. Everyone here takes a different amount.” The other executives nod.

MC feels a bit relieved at this news, but she waits to hear what the frequency was exactly.

“Zen takes it the least because of the nature of his work. Yoosung and I take it when we like, and Mr. Han and Luciel enjoy drinking frequently.”

_Makes sense, Zen does seem sober most the time. He seems like a go-with-the-flow type._

_Jaehee and Yoosung probably take it to feel less stressed. While…_

MC watches Jumin play with his cat. He is smiling and chuckling, something she had never seen since she’s been here. Dark eyes twinkled with adoration for his little princess. He is completely engrossed in his own world.

_Jumin drinks to feel something._

MC glances at Luciel. He was sitting cross-legged on the ground, staring blankly ahead of him. There’s no expression on his face except for traces of a resting smile. She wonders if his eyes are even focused on anything.

_...and Luciel drinks to feel nothing._

“I see,” MC responds.

“How’d you like it by the way MC??” Yoosung asks excitedly. The young man starts rocking his chair back in forth. MC smiles, though she doesn’t understand what kind of answer he expects.

“Can you handle the bitterness? Or I can make it taste like something else! Or mix it with something else~” He starts spouting off how the other execs like it. “Jumin has his with wine, like you did at the luncheon! Zen has his carbonated -mine too- Jaehee has hers bold -if that makes sense?- so it can go well with coffee, and Luciel makes his sweet, like he said!”

_I'd like mine virgin please, as in no drugs. _But she can’t say that. She’s still disturbed that they were talking about flavors of _drugs _like it was a soft drink, but to be fair, did she really expect a cult to act like a bunch of normal people? Maybe if they were, they could’ve been a proper organization, like the ones she worked for outside.

“Well, I definitely don’t want it as wine again haha.” She supposes it’s best to act like this is all normal. Just another conversation, after all.

Jumin laughs. “It is a bit of an acquired taste. I don’t blame you~” He whimsically shrugs.

_This is so odd lmao_

“Haha, alright MC, I’ll ask you again in a few days then~” Yoosung grins. “Haha… sorry about how aggressive I was the other day, by the way…”

_I have a few days, thank goodness! _MC waves her hand, suggesting they forget about it, and smiles.

Yoosung changes the subject. “Wasn’t it crazy that the Savior cried though? You can never know what that guy's thinking! It’s like he’s hiding something!”

Zen shakes his head. “There you go again, Yoosung.” Red eyes roll around in their sockets.

Jumin's expression turns serious as he turns to the young man. “Some people hide their emotions. Don’t forget about what happened to our Founder…”

“…You’re right. I’m sorry.”

Silence falls on the group. MC gulps. What just happened?

Jaehee turns to MC and speaks quietly. “Our Founder… she took her own life.”

_Suicide!? What a dark way of covering up someone’s disappearance._ MC notes to ask Rika about this later.

Jaehee clears her throat. “Yes… if anyone is struggling with anything, we should tell each other. I care about everyone’s well-being, and I’m sure everyone else does as well.”

A warm smile is elicited from the other executives. They nod.

_Funny, is anyone really doing okay in this room…? _MC is saddened by this front.

Luciel -breaking his silence- starts to chuckle, shaking his head. “Sometimes it’s better not to know the truth.” The collective smile disappears from everyone’s face.

“Easy for you to say. When are you ever honest with us?” scoffs Zen.

“Ya and when do you ever think about anyone other than yourself?” Luciel feigns wonder before shrugging. Red eyes glare at the golden ones behind red hair.

“At least he’s straightforward with us.” Jumin states. “We would appreciate if you would be as well, that’s all.” He sits up to face Luciel, turning away from Elizabeth the 3rd.

“Oh? And you suddenly care? All you care about is if I get results- so why does it matter to you now?” Luciel sneers.

The air of the room was getting very tense. MC sensed that Jaehee wanted to say something, but she seemed too nervous to join in. Yoosung speaks up.

“Luciel… we care about you, and I want to help you, if I can,” insists Yoosung.

“I don’t want your help.” The redhead scowls. “No one can help me with this…”

“Hey! Just let me help you! Let me try! I know I can’t do much, but-!” protests Yoosung. He gets up off his chair to confront him.

Luciel snaps his head towards Yoosung, glaring daggers at him. “Can you understand English?” He stands to meet him. “This has nothing to do with you.”

The two young men glare while standing right in front of each other.

“Nothing to do with me? I’m your friend, Luciel!”

“There’s something I have to do myself. And friendships are only temporary anyway.”

“Tempor-!? Why can’t you just say you're having a difficult time reaching out? We understand, Luciel!”

“Because it’s not that? I already said I don’t want your help. And no one here understands me.” Luciel gestures around the room.

His glare circles the room. “Well? Does anyone here understand me!?”

No one responds.

“Hey… you’re seriously making me mad.” Yoosung is clenching his fists.

Luciel turns back to the boy and grabs Yoosung’s collar. “You think I care about your feelings?” MC notices that the other executives visibly perk up. Were they going to step in?

“You’re lying to yourself if you think you don’t.”

“I **know** I don’t.” spat Luciel.

“Luciel, what is all this!? This isn’t you…” Yoosung’s fists loosen, a painful miserable expression across his face. Luciel maintains the grip on Yoosung’s collar. “You’re funny and cheerful …and a bit scary -but you care about us! We know you do!” Luciel feels Yoosung’s tears fall on his arms.

“Me? _This is me_. You don’t know anything about my life. We aren’t close enough for you to know that anyway.” He lets go of Yoosung, who didn’t seem to have a response.

“I would leave you all, when I finally do what I have to do. It was inevitable-”

“Luciel…! Please stop doing this.” MC’s soft voice somehow cuts through the air. “Don’t destroy the things you care about. Don’t lash out like this.”

The redhead snaps to look at MC incredulously.

“_Why are you even talking MC_? You don’t know anything about us, our relationships, and _much less_ me!”

MC returns the hard glare. “If I’m wrong, then why are you crying…?”

Luciel freezes. What was she talking about…? Wasn’t Yoosung the one crying? He turns to look at the boy. Determined violet eyes glare back at him…_dry_ violet eyes. A cold breeze flows through the room and stings Luciel’s wet cheeks. It’s silent as telltale tears splatter on the floor of Jumin’s room.

“I-it’s a side effect!” Luciel struggles to wipe his face with his arms. The tears keep flowing.

No one says anything. No one needed to.

Luciel turns red. “I’m probably upset by how stupid this all is…” he mumbles. He leaves Jumin’s room, slamming the door.

The tension in the room turns somber. Everyone looks at Yoosung; the young man looked like he was still processing what had just happened, but it was undeniable that his feelings were severely hurt.

“Yoosung… he didn’t mean it…”

“Yes. He just wanted to push you away.”

“… I’m going to bed.” Yoosung wipes his face.

Zen stands and places a hand on Yoosung's shoulder. “Do you want to grab a drink?”

“No-” Yoosung pulls away from Zen and walks out of the room as well. The door closes behind him.

“At least he didn’t slam the door…”

…The room was silent.

From the window, the entrance to the garden could be heard being opened and closed aggressively. Luciel.

“…Zen and I should comfort Yoosung.” Jaehee announces. “Mr. Han, will you go to Luciel?” She looks imploringly at her former boss.

Jumin sighs, crossing his arms. “I doubt I can make any influence on that boy.” He perks up with a sudden thought. He turns to MC.

“MC? Could you talk to Luciel?” MC raises her eyebrows in response.

Zen and Jaehee, surprised, froze as they were on their way out and look expectedly at MC.

“Hey… you don’t have to MC. He can be a bit impossible sometimes…” Zen says.

“No. I can do it. I’ll go down and talk to him.” MC gets up with a solemn look on her face. “I’ll message you guys if I need help.” The others nod.

She leaves the room and heads down towards the garden.

_I agreed, but I have no idea what to say…_

MC opens the doorway to the garden. She softly closes the door behind her.

Luciel is hunched over, sitting on a bench at the center area of the garden. MC was surprised- she honestly expected him to be butchering the flowers. She slowly approaches him.

He does not react nor acknowledge her presence. MC inspects him, and she can see that he was staring ahead of him. His cheeks were still wet, as though he gave up trying to dry them.

She continues to approach him slowly. MC notices his eyes waver; he must see her in his peripheral vision now. He does not respond. MC hesitates, but slowly she found that she was able to sit next to him.

…

The two sit together in silence. There was no wind now, and it was eerily silent. There was no rustling in the bushes and no bugs nor birds making noise.

“…have you already eaten, Luciel?”

_I don’t want to eat._

He makes no effort to respond in any way. He closes his eyes. Maybe if he could just shut out the entire world, everything would be okay. He imagines himself floating away in space.

But then he would be alone. He always wanted to run away from everything, but he couldn’t handle being alone.

Luciel wonders why this was happening. He hated this. Why couldn’t everything just be fun and games? Why do things have to be serious? He hated himself for starting it in the first place. He knew he had a horrid temper, but the cruel words always spewed out of his mouth before he could filter anything.

He sighs. He hated this because he knew he loved his friends, as strange as they all were. That’s why they belonged together. But he can’t forget about his desire either…

His brother. He wants to get revenge on his brother. It the only thing he wants to do. The final thing he wants to do.

Luciel feels so conflicted. If he finds his brother and achieves his revenge, he had wanted to leave this world too.

…But would he feel okay leaving his friends behind?

This wasn’t the first time he’s thought about his plans. That’s why he decided to just have fun and be goofy with his friends. That way he could be remembered with a smile. If he left them and disappeared, they could just assume he went on another one of his wild adventures.

That’s how he wants to be remembered. Not like this. Not as the volatile guy who explodes at his friends and pushes everyone away… who can’t be honest with his own friends.

He couldn’t tell them his plans. Of course, they would stop him. Or try to change his mind.

_It’s better this way. I would only hurt them._

Another painful thought crosses his mind. _Maybe they would leave me. I’ve always been a lost cause to them anyway…_

“…Luciel?” MC’s voice brings Luciel back to Earth. He doesn’t respond.

_MC… you’re a whole other thing- a stranger. What can you even do here…_

_“_Luciel, do you want a hug?” He hears MC shifts towards him.

No response. She shifts a bit closer.

Luciel doesn’t have the energy to sort out his feelings on if he wants her to hug him or not.

“I’m going to hug you, i-if that’s okay…” He hears her arms rise slowly.

Luciel flinched at her stammering. _She’s afraid of me._

_Am I a monster? This is why people would want to leave me. I’m too much. I’m too sensitive, too weird. I-_

Luciel’s thoughts go silent as MC’s arms wrap around him, embracing him gently.

He opens his eyes slowly. He was in the garden, in front of his beautiful, awful flowers. It was cold outside, and the floor was beneath him. It was silent.

Peaceful.

MC looks up at him, their faces only inches apart. His breath catches in his throat to see MC so close to him. He hesitates but eventually brings his arms around her to return her embrace. Perhaps he doesn’t need to be completely understood to be comforted. He was here in this moment, and the dreadful thoughts weren’t haunting his mind.

MC was relieved that Luciel had accepted her hug. She wasn’t sure what it was he needed, but a hug was the least she could provide.

An hour of silence was finally broken.

“MC… do I deserve forgiveness?”

“Everyone deserves forgiveness, right? They know you didn’t mean it.” She squeezes him.

“What if I hated someone my whole life? Do I deserve forgiveness?”

_Ah. He wasn’t talking about what just happened._

“Do you forgive them?” MC looks up at him curiously.

“…No.” Luciel looks away. “But sometimes I wonder if I’ll stay angry and hurt forever.”

MC stays silent. She senses that he had more to say.

“Even when I’m cruel to my friends, they never stay angry and hurt. They always forgive me. Even now, I know they’ll forgive me.”

“Why…? Why do I deserve that? Shouldn’t they just leave me behind?”

_Is that what this is, Luciel? A destructive self-fulfilling prophecy?_

“Everyone has their reasons. They all care about you. Please don’t deny it.” MC insists.

Luciel locks eyes with her again. “…I know. I know. You too, even.” She smiles, tears in her eyes.

“Let us understand you, Luciel,” MC’s eyes were twinkling in the moonlight.

Luciel smiles. She was so kind to him. So patient. Even his friends had a hard time handling him because of how abrasive and volatile he could be. He knew that was his own fault. But how could MC be so straightforward? So strong?

So gentle?

He looks at MC’s lips. Luciel felt his heart pounding. No, he understood that he was just desperate for affection. As much as he wanted to kiss her, he shouldn’t. He didn’t want to ruin this moment, and what they had between them. He pulls away a bit.

MC and Luciel let go of each other. Luciel has a calm expression on his face. He turns away.

“MC… Thank you.” He gets up and extends a hand to help her get up as well. “No promises but…” he timidly faces her. “I’ll be back to my cheerful goofy self in no time!” He smiles at her.

MC returns a melancholic smile. Who would’ve thought that forced happiness could be more tragic than tears.

_Luciel… one day I hope that smile is genuine. I know you can _ _and will get through this… and your brother will be there, ready to accept you._

“It’s cold Luciel, let’s go back inside~”

Luciel nods, and they both head back inside. They walk back up to the third floor. MC turns towards Luciel’s room and is surprised that Luciel was not beside her. He had split to Yoosung’s room.

She catches up to him, but Luciel was hesitating outside of Yoosung’s door. MC can only imagine the thoughts running through his head right now.

Suddenly the door opens and Yoosung almost runs into Luciel. Both of them stare at each other in shock. It fades to two timid glances between themselves.

“Oh! MC!” Jaehee is surprised to see the two of them outside the door. “We were actually about to go down to the garden…” She quiets herself, seeing Yoosung and Luciel face each other. Zen and Jumin approach the group from within Yoosung’s room.

“Yoosung…” Luciel starts. “SO SRY!!” He clasps his hands together as though pleading and pouts, looking down.

…No one responds. MC smacks Luciel at the back of his head. Jumin and Zen stifle a laugh.

“Apologize properly!” MC clicks her tongue.

Luciel rubs his head and knows that he deserved that.

“Yoosung, I’m sorry. I let my emotions get the best of me.” He looks at Yoosung.

“So, we do matter to you, right?” Yoosung crosses his arms.

“Yes, I promise… Even if I try to claim otherwise,” admits Luciel.

“And you will accept our help if you need it?”

“…Maybe. I’ll consider it.” Luciel looks away.

Yoosung suddenly hugs his friend. Luciel smiles and returns the embrace. MC and the others look at each other, beaming.

“lol Yoosung, don’t turn around but I think Jaehee is gonna cry.”

Everyone looks at Jaehee, who is indeed tearing up, handkerchief in hand.

“Do you seriously want me to smack you again?” threatens MC.

Luciel jolts and turns to use Yoosung as a human shield.

“WAIT-“ The two start struggling, until they fall to the ground, wrestling.

“Guys, help me!!” Yoosung wails on the ground.

The others laugh at them.

Jumin turns to MC. “You did a great job,” he says quietly. Zen and Jaehee nod behind him.

MC grins at him. “Thank you, Mr. Han.” She gives an exaggerated bow.

Jumin sighs and shakes his head at the girl. “You surprise me. I learned something new today.”

Zen and Jaehee step around Jumin and approach the two on the ground, discussing amongst themselves if they should intervene.

“Hm?” MC tilts her head.

“I always thought during the times Luciel would blow up like that, that those were his true feelings. Perhaps he secretly hated us, and the friendly demeanor was the front.”

Jumin looks quizzically at the two boys struggling on the ground.

“He truly cares about us, doesn’t he?” Jumin continues to think aloud. “Perhaps what we say impulsively isn’t always how we truly feel?”

MC slowly turns and stares at him. _Is he realizing…?_

“Does that mean that the elixir doesn’t always help us create our true nature? Does it sometimes encourage destructive behavior?”

MC’s eyes widen. She glances at the others nervously, but it seems everyone is entertained by the endless struggle on the ground.

“Jumin, you should think about it with Elizabeth the 3rd! I’m sure she would give you some insight.” She grins innocently.

“Ah, yes, you are right MC. I cannot believe I have left her alone during this stressful situation. I will go back to my room then. For eternal paradise.” Jumin heads back to his room as everyone sends their farewell. The two on the floor even paused their wrestling match to say bye. Why didn’t they just stop there? MC is amused.

“I’m going to head to my room as well! For eternal paradise~” MC waves to everyone as she turns away and bounces towards her room.

_Jumin, I didn’t expect you to be the first one to think about this. Although if you get it sooner than the others, it’s probably best since you seem the most dangerous…_

_But it isn’t time yet. Not everyone is ready. If you all aren’t on the same page, it could cause some conflict. Everyone needs to slowly get there together,_ MC ponders. _I think that’s the best way. Slow and steady and together._

At least, that was the plan for now. The last thing MC wants to do is turn this group of friends against each other.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter was a reference to the fight 707 and Yoosung have in 707's Route: Day 9, Chatroom: It has nothing to do with you   
Obvi different context, but same energy!


	13. The Thought of Happiness

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Some spotlight on Jaehee and Rika

Tucking her short brown hair behind her ear, Jaehee feels satisfied that her judo had not gotten rusty. She plops down on the chair at her desk after successfully breaking up Yoosung and Luciel’s wrestling match. The stack of papers that need to be summarized into a set of reports are staring at her.

_Hmmm. But the Savior said we shouldn’t work anymore today…_

She sighs and decides to just skim through some of them to help her be more prepared in the morning.

After organizing her papers, she takes a look around her room -it was a moment of luxury that she is not usually able to have. In terms of recreational items, she only has DVD’s of Zen’s performances. Everything else was either a necessity -like her bed and basic furniture- or work related. She sighs and slumps back in her chair.

Though she never gets breaks, Jaehee tended to like it that way. When she had a moment to herself, she had time to… think. And when she thought, she usually despaired. She fidgeted in her room, unsure of what to do with her free time.

Usually she would just watch one of Zen’s performances, but she had recently created a schedule for re-watching them, which corresponded with her usual schedule. She didn’t have a performance scheduled for today since she expected to be working all day, and she definitely didn’t want to ruin the order.

Jaehee starts swiveling in her chair a bit, side to side. For once, she was more interested in something else rather than Zen’s performances. Not that they weren’t worthy of her interest.

Jaehee was very curious about MC. Finally, there was another female exec that she could relate to and perhaps find a deeper friendship with. There was nothing wrong with the other execs of course, but often she found it difficult to be able to connect with them. She idolized Zen and was much more mature and serious than either Luciel or Yoosung. If anyone, she had a similar professional vibe with Jumin, but he was her former boss and thus a power balance lingered between them. The Savior would be good company -for anyone really, but he was so busy, and aloof at times, that it was hard to maintain a close relationship with him.

MC was very kind, appreciative, and easy to talk to. Additionally, she knew how to have a straightforward conversation- despite having a personality similar to Luciel.

Jaehee wanted to get to know her better. She did ask her earlier on the chat to hang out, but they all ended up hanging out together so there wasn’t much of a chance to get better acquainted between just the two of them. Not to mention the drama that had occurred.

_MC was able to get Luciel to confront Yoosung before we even got him out of his room._ Jaehee was fascinated by her new fellow exec’s influence. She’s sure that she wasn’t the only one.

She takes her phone out of her pocket and stares at it. MC’s private message chat was open, but she hesitates to reach out to her. It was getting late, and she wasn’t sure if MC would enjoy her company…

_I should be brave -just like MC!_ Jaehee sends her message.

MC answers back immediately.

* * *

**MC: Jaehee!! Yes, us girls should hang out!**

**Jaehee: I’m relieved you are still up**

**Jaehee: Where should we meet?**

**MC: Come over ;D**

**MC: No boys allowed X**

**MC: Also wdym “still up”**

**MC: It’s only 8pm XD**

**Jaehee: Oh, I apologize**

**Jaehee: I don’t know when most people sleep**

**MC: T_T**

**Jaehee: I'll be right over :)**

Jaehee chuckles. She wonders if this how it would be if Luciel was a girl. She swivels in her chair a bit more before heading over to MC's room.

♥♥♥

* * *

**MC: Saeran, can we call around midnight instead?**

**MC: Jaehee wants to hang out with me**

**Saeran: Sure**

**Saeran: Stay safe**

**Saeran: MC… don’t get too attached alright**

**MC: This is for the mission.**

_Their well-being is part of the mission_.

**Saeran: Of course, I’m just saying**

**MC: And dw, you’re my favorite ;P**

**Saeran: lol**

**Saeran: You’re my favorite too^^**

**MC: Aren’t you my boss?**

**MC: So unprofessional smh**

**Saeran: Rika is our boss but**

**Saeran: Ok you’re fired then**

**MC: oh.**

**Saeran: Quit texting me ^^**

MC smiles and puts her phone away as she hears a light knock on the door.

MC perks up to the sound. “Come in~!” She sings.

Jaehee steps into MC's room, wearing her usual outfit. She waves to MC, but before she could say anything -or even take another step- MC interrupts her.

“NOPE. Stop right there, Jaehee,” demands MC. She holds a hand up to halt her visitor.

Jaehee freezes. Was she too careless? Did she already mess something up?

MC pouts at her fellow exec, shaking her head. “Why are you wearing your suit Jaehee? This is a casual hangout- not a meeting!” MC laughs, crossing her arms.

“Go back to your room and change!” MC grins. “You are not allowed back in here until you have casual clothes~” MC pulls back, realizing she shouldn’t assume. “Wait, you have some, right?”

Jaehee is relieved she wasn’t in trouble. She gives a timid smile and nods. “My apologies. I’ll change right now.”

“Don’t apologize, Jaehee. I forgot to mention the dress code in my invitation~” MC smirks and playfully tilts her head.

Jaehee chuckles. She appreciates the humor. Jaehee shakes her head with her hands on her hips, pretending to be disappointed. “Ah, you’re right. Please include those essential details next time!”

They smile at each other, and MC watches Jaehee leave the room with a quick wave.

_Did she just forget to change, or does she not get enough free time to change into a casual outfit?_ MC pouts. It’s a silly thought but she sincerely hopes the latter is not the case.

After a few minutes, Jaehee returns in a t-shirt and sweatpants.

“Now that’s more like it!” MC hops off her bed and bounces over to Jaehee. MC grabs the brunette's hands and holds them in her own.

“What would you like to do, Jaehee? Did you want to talk about something? We could watch Zen's performances if you want? We could get some food, walk in the garden, prank some of the others…” MC continues to list other activities they could do. Jaehee, initially dumbfounded, chuckles at how each suggestion becomes more and more ridiculous.

“As much as I would love to start a small coffee shop business with you after throwing a private charity fundraising event,” interjects Jaehee with an amused eyebrow raised, “I think a simple chat would suffice for tonight.” She smiles at MC. How does MC come up with this stuff?

MC pouts. “Aw… I was thinking that option would be the best!” MC laughs and leads them to her table. “I’m sure we do that in a parallel universe~ But I guess not tonight!”

They choose seats across from each other. MC and Jaehee agree that hot cocoa would be great to sip on while they chat, and MC brings out some vanilla wafers for them to snack on.

“When did you get these snacks?” Jaehee looks impressed.

“Oh, I asked for them earlier today! I wanted to be prepared if I had any guests.” MC was preparing hot water in an electric kettle, which Jaehee assumed she had also asked for earlier today.

“You’re very thoughtful…” Jaehee grabs one of the wafers, inspecting it.

“Well, everyone works so hard with their own duties!” MC grins, turning to her. “How was your day Jaehee?”

While MC prepared the hot cocoa, the two of them partake in some pleasant small talk. MC could tell that Jaehee must’ve been looking forward to spending time together, and thankfully she seemed to be enjoying herself. She smiled a lot more than when MC usually saw her in the halls, and she seemed to truly savor their treats. It was a bit sad to think that Jaehee is always so busy that she didn’t have time to do what she wanted.

“I was actually wondering, MC,” Jaehee says after sipping her drink. “Do you think hard work is enough to find happiness?” Jaehee looks down at her hands, wrapped around her mug.

MC is a bit taken aback by the change in mood. She meets Jaehee’s eyes.

“I thought that if I worked hard, then I would be ‘successful.’ At some point, I feel as though I may have lost the drive to want my own happiness. Maybe you could say I gave up on it. I do enjoy doing good work, but I’m not sure if I’m getting anywhere…” Jaehee’s expression had turned somber.

MC places a comforting hand on Jaehee's arm. Her heart was heavy to hear such words come from the overworked woman. She was also touched that Jaehee trusted her enough to share such thoughts with her; MC thinks hard to give her the decent advice she deserved.

“I think you should make sure you’re taking care of your well-being Jaehee. You work so hard for others, but I think you also have to work hard for yourself! Balance is the best way to live~” MC looks outside the window. “I was a busybody and workaholic myself; I understand how satisfying it can feel to have others' approval.” Jaehee raises her eyebrows. It was nice to have someone who could relate to her.

MC continues. “There’s nothing wrong with wanting to be liked! But in the end, most of those people go to their own homes and just focus on themselves. Don’t take this the wrong way, but their thoughts of you probably only last as a fleeting moment for them. You should care for yourself at the end of the day too.”

“Hmm.” Jaehee ponders, staring at the mug in her hands. “I do find time to eat and sleep…”

“No, no,” MC chuckles and waves her hands. “You should have people close to you that you can be yourself with, share your emotions with! And have more time to do things that you enjoy doing! Do them for you!” MC’s eyes sparkle. Her smile was as warm as their drinks. She grabs a vanilla wafer and starts munching on it.

“…thank you for your advice.” Jaehee takes a large sip of her hot cocoa. She drinks black coffee so often that she’s surprised by how much she enjoys the sweet cocoa. She savors the flavor, closing her eyes.

Jaehee hears MC giggle. Jaehee blushes; she wasn’t used to someone watching her.

“Jaehee, you look like someone who would have a lot of passion towards something they really enjoy!” MC observes. “Not everyone can enjoy something as simple as a sip~”

“Oh… I don’t get too much free time so sometimes these little moments are all I have,” Jaehee admits. “I do this all the time, but I didn’t realize how odd it must look since I’m usually alone.”

“Haha no, don’t feel self-conscious!” insists MC. “It's cute~”

Jaehee timidly looks away. She clears her throat. “Thank you, MC.” She grins at MC. “You’ve given me a truly pleasant night.”

“You know what would make it perfect…” MC winks at Jaehee and leans closer to her.

Jaehee was unsure of what was happening, but she could feel her heart beating.

“MARATHONING ZEN'S DVDS??” MC wags her eyebrows.

Jaehee laughs, relieved. She didn’t know why she felt tense for a moment.

“Maybe another time, MC.” Jaehee finishes her cocoa after checking her watch. “I wanted to turn in early today. I have a schedule for re-watching, though. You should join me sometime!” Jaehee's eyes were sparkling this time.

“I will,” MC promises. “Thank you for coming by tonight. I’m glad you got something out of my rambling. Don’t let me keep you then, Jaehee~”

Jaehee nods. “Thank you for spending time with me. I hope we have more opportunities to hang out in the future!” Jaehee cleans after herself, ignoring MC's gestures to leave it. They continue to chat during the process -neither of them seemed to want the moment to end. Eventually Jaehee pulls herself away from the conversation, and she bows at the doorway.

“Have a peaceful night, MC. For eternal paradise.” After MC gives her farewell, Jaehee closes the door behind her. She heads to her room with a smile. She felt like she wouldn’t need the elixir before bed tonight.

MC tidies up once she hears Jaehee’s steps recede. She clears the table and puts her supplies away.

_I had been wondering what went through her head… Thankfully I didn’t have to seem nosy or pry; she came to me wanting to talk openly._ A sigh of relief escapes her. She was glad Jaehee wanted to be friends with her as well. As she finishes cleaning, MC makes a mental note to actively check-in with the overworked woman in the future.

A yawn escapes her. She admits to herself that she is pretty tired. Unfortunately, she still had to report at midnight.

MC grabs her phone, thinking up random things to bother Saeran about.

♥♥♥

Rika looks over Saeran’s shoulder while he hacks. Her blond hair cascades to one side. She cannot understand the codes, but she could see the intense focus on the young man's face. The sound of fast typing is the only noise in the room.

_He’s fighting his own brother… How did V and I let it end up this way?_

Green eyes look to the floor, ashamed at the results of her past actions. At that moment, she considered discussing some of her thoughts with Saeran, but Rika knew that he needed his full focus on his task at hand. The topic always creates unpleasant conversation, so Rika figured she should at least wait for a more appropriate time. She’s never sure how she'll able to forgive herself for all of this…

Catching a glance of the miserable expression on his dear friend’s face, Saeran frowns.

“Rika, is there something wrong?” Saeran continues typing, but glances in her direction a few times to assure her that he was listening.

“No… nothing new.” She turns away from him.

Saeran sighs; he understood what she meant. Rika sits in a nearby chair, fiddling with her hands.

“Rika, what matters is that we’re doing something about it now, right? You have spent a lot -and I meant A LOT- of time feeling guilty and-“

“I deserve to!” Rika interjects. “I left my love and my friends stuck in a twisted world that I created… I made them like this and then abandoned them…!” She shakes her head, bringing her hands to her face. She leans forward and hangs her head, her golden hair like two waterfalls falling, covering the sides of her face.

Saeran listens as Rika expresses her guilt; her words spill out from within her. He sympathizes with his friend, but it wasn’t the first time she had been overwhelmed with guilt over this. Obviously, this sort of thing wasn’t something that one could easily forgive themselves for. Saeran understands this, always ready to support her, but he quietly hopes that one day she could find forgiveness for herself.

“Ray… Saeran, I’m sorry.” Rika finally says after a pause, looking up at him. “I really am.”

Saeran stops typing.

“It is what it is. Please don’t keep apologizing…” Saeran takes a deep breath.

Rika nods and turns silent. She’s tired. They’re both tired. She watches as Saeran gets up from his desk and walks over to her. He kneels next to the sitting girl and places a hand on her shoulder.

“You are different now, Rika. You are trying to be responsible for your actions, and that’s all you can do.” Saeran gives her a tired smile. “Just keep doing your best. It’ll pay off.”

Rika doesn’t feel confident. She stares at the floor. “But when will we get another chance? We can barely keep MC safe. And how can I save them? I’m not sure I can do it…”

“You aren’t alone. _We_ can do it. I’m not sure how either,” Saeran admits. “But we should believe in ourselves. We will have other opportunities. You said that yourself, right?”

Rika looks into the boy’s eyes and nods. “Yes, you’re right. I just hope that we aren’t too late.”

“Let’s not get ahead of ourselves. We take one step at a time.” Saeran pats her on the back and they share a comforting smile before he walks back to his desk. “Why don’t you take a walk Rika? Some air might refresh you. This cabin is stuffy.” He turns his focus back to hacking. “I know you enjoy the moonlight.”

Rika perks up to the idea and nods; she doesn’t hesitate and steps outside for some fresh air. The cool night air seems lighter here in the mountains.

As she walks, Rika reflects on how grateful she is that she’s had Saeran by her side, but she couldn’t help but feel like she didn’t deserve his help.

_Well, he probably wants to do this for Luciel if anything._

She was the one who was responsible; Rika felt like she depended on her young friend too much.

_He should have a normal life. Living, laughing… loving_.

Rika’s misery was replaced by the pleasant thought of MC and Saeran. A smile breaks through, though only for a moment.

_Both MC and Saeran are helping me through this… I need to make this all up to them._

Rika frowns. She knows that feeling sorry for herself would only immobilize her -she couldn’t help it sometimes. During these moments, it felt as though their fate was to be miserable -to be lost. It hurt, those cruel thoughts. What made her guilt worse was that she was able to live a "normal" life without them. She could feel sorry all she wanted, but tomorrow she would be back at work with the fundraising association while her friends were still here in the mountains, separated from society. This universe isn't fair.

She stares at the dark sky. Did the sunlight make the sky blue or was it always blue even if it was night? She forgot the science.

Her mind wanders as the twinkling stars remind her of the twinkle of V's eyes. For someone who let her darkness engulf him, she always marveled at how his light never went out. At least, that was what she hoped she could see in him.

_Please V, keep your light alive. _She misses him. She misses everyone. Sometimes she wonders if it would just be easier to go back to Mint Eye and show them how she changed. Tell them that they could too. Would they be able to understand her?

A fire of determination lights up within her. These were her friends, her real family. They deserved more than what she had given them. They deserved to bloom in the world. She believed in it so fiercely, and so truly that not even fate would be able to stop her from believing. She always had intense feelings, and she wanted to use them for the right things this time.

“I… I believe in our happiness,” Rika whispers to herself, fists clenched.

She finds a spot in the grass to sit. She takes a moment to enjoy her surroundings and the peaceful night. She looks up at the moon. It’s light was so soft, so comforting. There was a time when she thought that the moonlight was stronger, better than the sunlight.

Why did she think they competed? Every day consisted of both the day and the night. They both brought balance to life and took turns watching over everyone. Rika had come to love both the sun and the moon. In the day, the sun kissed her skin. At night, the moon protected her while she rested. One followed the other, day after day.

Rika wonders if the sun and moon were just destined to chase after each other, until the end of time.


	14. On the Same Page

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The 5th night

“So, what were you and V doing when you visited those believer rooms earlier?” Saeran leans back in his chair. He opens a wrapped ice cream cone and tries to eat it quietly. He figured he could sneak in a snack since the majority of MC’s report was finished.

“Are you eating right now??” MC interrupts.

The wrapper wasn’t very quiet.

“Yeah. Just some ice cream. Rika brought me a box. Do you want me to bring you some?” He smirks.

“Yes. Express delivery please.” She sounds excited.

Saeran smiles sheepishly. “Sorry, I was joking. It wouldn’t be a good idea for me to tamper with the footage too much…” He looks at his ice cream. “You can have the rest of it when I get you tomorrow night.”

He hears MC laugh. “I don’t need that much ice cream haha,” She suddenly huffs. “But I still think I need more time, Saeran! I _know_ I’m making a difference. I told you what happened with Luciel, what I heard Jumin say, how Jaehee opened up to me, and don’t get me started about lunch -you can’t tell me those instances don’t mean anything!”

Saeran bites into his ice cream. “MC… People don’t change overnight.”

A tense silence settles.

“Rika…? Are you still on the line? You know them -what do you think?”

Sitting in the main room of the cabin, Saeran looks over to the room Rika was staying in. He could see that the light was still on behind the closed door.

“I’m still here.” Rika responds. “Hm… to be honest, I haven’t seen them in a long time so I can’t be too sure. But based on how I used to know them, it _does_ sound like you are influencing them in a good way. People may not change overnight, but it all starts with what goes on in our mind, right?”

MC doesn’t say anything in response, but Saeran can imagine her smirking in satisfaction.

“I understand,” Saeran starts. “But MC, they are just going to keep drugging you; Rika and I cannot keep infiltrating to detox you.”

“He has a point.” Rika interjects. “Additionally, MC, it can get very… dangerous in there. If you have spoken to the believers, you would know that many of them are afraid for their life.”

“But isn’t this why you asked _me_ to do this?” insists MC. “I used to be an agent; living in danger is not new to me -I can handle it! Please don’t treat me like a regular civilian.”

Saeran sits back and closes his eyes to think for a moment, unsure on how to clarify himself for MC. No one doubted that MC was talented. Naturally, he does trust in her abilities; it was one of the reasons why he chose her.

“MC, I can assure you that Ray and I both trust in your abilities,” explains Rika. “But I also know that agents put their life on the line because they are not given any choice. This is not that situation. Your safety is our priority. I believe that all we asked you to do is infiltrate and report to us. Please don’t misunderstand us: we are not saying you cannot handle it; you have been doing a great job, and because of the information you have successfully provided, we have simply decided that it would be in best interest to end the mission here.”

Saeran nods in agreement while he listens. Rika had always been good with words.

“MC, we just want you to be safe…” Saeran adds.

“…I understand.” MC finally responds after a pause. “Forgive me if I’m overstepping my bounds, but I would still like to discuss extending my time later when we can.”

“Of course, MC.” Rika responds. “I know you’re very passionate about this. I hope you know we are extremely grateful to you for your help. The least we could do is hear you out.”

“…Thank you.” MC takes a deep breath. “One more thing before we go back to my report?”

Rika and Saeran wait for MC to go on.

“Rika, why do you call Saeran ‘Ray’? Is that a nickname?”

Oh! Rika just noticed that MC was calling Saeran by his real name. When did he tell her?

Saeran speaks up. “It’s my fake name: the name on my ID. She calls me Ray because we work together in public. So that she doesn’t accidentally call me by my real name, Rika consistently calls me Ray. I’m sure you’ve had a few aliases, _MC_?”

“Ah, I see.” MC chuckles. “Yeah, I had a lot. My last name was ‘Jesse’.”

MC winks. There’s no one watching her though; nobody saw that. Why did she do that?

“Cute name.” Saeran smiles.

“Hehe thanks~ Oh right -visiting the believers with V!” MC jumps back onto the original topic. “Uh… to be completely honest I was so delirious from the drugs that the memory is not clear at all. I can’t remember the details, but I believe we just listened to the believers’ complaints, and V either gave them advice or would give them things they requested. Otherwise he would be taking note on how to follow-up with them. I didn’t really do anything, V just had me follow him around and watch. I’m sorry that I can’t really remember…”

“It’s alright. It sounds like nothing too much has changed with the Savior duties.” Rika was unsure whether or not this was a bad thing. She supposes it could be worse.

“Was last night hazy, MC?” Rika asks suddenly.

“Last night…? Oh-!” MC recalls attacking Saeran.

_Did she really just ask that!? _Saeran stomps over to Rika’s room. She can hear her giggling inside. He opens her door, and Rika is grinning mischievously, sitting on her bed. It looked like she was waiting for him.

Saeran and Rika both hear unintelligible noises from MC. Was she screaming into a pillow…?

Saeran wasn’t sure if it would be better or worse if he was in the same room with their tormentor. Rika was still grinning.

_No, she wants to see my face during this._ Saeran turns away as Rika gets up from her bed to chase him. He closes the door in her face and holds it closed. Rika isn’t strong enough to pull the door open, though he could hear her struggling on the other side of the door.

Saeran breaks the silence. “Y-you don’t have to answer, MC. It’s fine!”

“Well… honestly I remember last night c-clearly…” MC stutters. Though he was embarrassed, Saeran felt somewhat relieved by this reply. It would’ve been a shame if his confession was completely forgotten. That would mean he would have to build up the courage to do it again.

Rika is squealing on the other side of the door, luckily not right into the phone to break their ear drums.

“Saeran, I am genuinely sorry for what I did.” MC isn’t sure how much detail she should go into, especially considering that Rika -_their boss- _was on the line. “I know I must’ve put you into an …uncomfortable situation.”

_I bet the position wasn’t uncomfortable…_ Rika smirks.

Saeran feels a bit discouraged. Maybe it was just the drugs then?

“Ah, I see. Don’t worry about it MC. I’m sure you’d never want do anything like that to me.”

_Well, I wouldn’t say ‘never.’ _Both Rika and MC have the same thought.

MC hears the disappointment in his voice.

“Haha, we’ll have other chances Saeran; don’t sound too disappointed.” MC says coyly.

Saeran can imagine her winking right now. The silly image brings a smile to his face.

“Actually, MC… Can I take it as a sign that you like me?” Saeran’s eyes widen as he covers his mouth. The words blurted out of him before he could think about it.

He can hear Rika freaking out on the other side of the door, flailing around on her bed.

_Is this really the time for this kind of thing?? _Saeran reminds himself that an agent doesn’t have time to indulge in these kinds of feelings.

MC chuckles. “Saeran, I know I’m a flirt, but I really do like you…” MC trails off, surprisingly sounding a bit timid. “I’m sorry you had to find out the way you did.”

Saeran smiles. He’s relieved. “Well… At least I don’t have to feel jealous watching you flirt with the others from now on.”

“But then you don’t let me flirt with you on camera!! So unfair…!”

“Oh my gosh~” Rika exclaims suddenly, under her breath.

Both Saeran and MC had forgotten that Rika was also on the line. They feel like teenagers that have been eavesdropped by one of their mothers. Saeran briskly walks away from Rika’s room, no longer wanting to be within hearing range of that woman.

An awkward silence stretches between them, no parties knowing what to say.

“Okay okay, I’m getting tired. I have to leave very early if I want to get back to town at a reasonable time tomorrow.” An exaggerated yawn comes from Rika. “You two go ahead and keep talking~ Update me later, Ray. Goodnight, you two!”

A click is heard as she disconnects from the call.

“…She seems awfully supportive,” MC wonders aloud.

“Haha yeah, sorry about that. Rika _is_ my boss within our fundraising association, but she’s more like an older sister to me,” admits Saeran.

_‘Like an older sister?’ _ _That’s actually a bit strange; I thought Rika left Mint Eye only a few months ago. Did they know each other for a long time?_

“Did you escape Mint Eye as well, Saeran?” MC wonders. Is that what Luciel was talking about? Did Saeran leave him at Mint Eye?

“Oh no, I was never in Mint Eye. I couldn’t even imagine how I could survive that place.” Saeran shudders imagining what his brother must have gone through. “My brother was already the stronger one between the two of us… and you see how he is now. I used to be a lot frailer growing up too.”

_Huh? Am I missing something? _MC wonders._ Is it a coincidence that Luciel is here, in a cult that Rika founded and now she is Saeran’s boss? And they are brothers?_

MC feels like she is definitely missing something.

“Huh? Then what is your brother talking about? About someone leaving him?”

Saeran didn’t expect this question so soon. He pauses to think.

MC had been thoughtful to not press on the topic up until now, but she felt like Saeran had the missing parts to the puzzle she had in her mind.

“I’m sorry if it’s a sensitive topic,” MC follows up. “You can just tell me when you are ready.”

“…I’ll tell you soon. Maybe when I get you out tomorrow-?”

_Oops. _Saeran bites his cheek the second the words escape him. MC frowns.

They both knew that MC wanted to stay longer. They suppose they are going to have to talk about it now.

As if on cue, Saeran and MC begin to discuss her options, both with level heads this time. Although Saeran was against it, he knew there was nothing an agent hated more than to be underestimated. MC admits to herself that she was being risky and optimistic, and she understood that there was nothing she needed to prove at the risk of her well-being. MC still had a whole day to scout out the situation, and they both agreed to keep each other well-updated in order to make a decision tomorrow night. After all, Saeran was not that far away.

“So, what are you trying to accomplish tomorrow? What are you looking for?”

“Hmm. I’m not sure if I’m honest…” MC admits. “But it’s a process… and I’m looking for an opening, if that makes sense.”

MC can feel Saeran’s unease with her vague answer. She takes his silence as a sign for her to continue.

“When you deal with people, and you come to understand them and get close to them -they open up to you on their own initiative.” MC tries to explain. “They’re already starting to. This might sound weird, but I just have to do the opposite of what Mint Eye wants to do.”

“Which is?” Saeran raises an eyebrow. He leans back on the couch, and his back thanks him; he really should be more mindful of his posture while he hacks.

“I'm not sure if this will make sense, but I have to encourage discomfort and change. Mint Eye encourages people to do whatever they want -like a kind of forced indulgence- even if its harmful or destructive to themselves. On the surface, you would think it was a good thing, like if someone wants validation through their work…” MC coughs.

Like a certain short-haired woman they both know.

“Then Mint Eye would give them that validation and encourage them -push them to work harder, even if it’s to the detriment of their physical health… Now that person is desperate to continue working for that validation that Mint Eye provides; it’s a never-ending cycle. I think ‘our Savior’ believes it is a kind of love that can solve everything. He believes that he should give them what they want. But people don't always instinctively want what's best for them, often they just want what's easy. He’s even lost himself to his own cause.” She thinks about what happened in the cafeteria.

“Everyone is scared to go out of their comfort zone… but making efforts -no matter how small- _outside _one’s comfort zone is how people improve. Mint Eye encourages safety over growth.”

MC starts feeling a bit self-conscious, realizing that she was getting a bit preachy.

“I’m not sure if I explained that whole concept correctly,” MC adds. “But I _think_ I’m starting to understand how Mint Eye works. Uh, I am a bit lost on some parts of the situation, but obviously, there are still a lot of missing pieces to the story…”

_Like why Rika left, or how she changed. Why/how V or any of these people are in this situation. Or how you and your brother are involved in this…_

“But yeah, sorry I rambled a bit! I hope you understand what I mean!” MC nervously chuckles, waiting for a response from Saeran.

“Don’t worry, anything having to do with people is going to be complicated to explain.” Saeran reassures her. “I really appreciate your take. It’s given me some things to think about. It makes me wonder...” Saeran trails off a bit. He glances in the direction of Rika's room.

“Rika used to run Mint Eye, so I’m sure she understands how it works; in fact, she should know it _very_ well. Additionally, as you may be able to tell, she’s never had trouble explaining herself. And yet, she’s never been able to describe Mint Eye's methods to me. Or rather, she doesn’t _want _to… Maybe the memories are too painful and shameful for her…”

_Or was she hiding something? Was there something more than the fact that his brother hated him?_

Though the thought crossed his mind, he did not want to doubt her. He knew she felt more than enough regret about the entire situation. If anything, if she_ was _hiding something, it was probably with the intention to protect him.

MC speaks up. “Something _has _been on my mind. Well, aside from the million other things I want to ask haha.”

Saeran hears MC shift her position.

“Why don’t we just report Mint Eye to the police?” MC asked, although she had a feeling as to why. She wanted to confirm it.

“Ah… well, I guess you could say it’s for selfish reasons that Rika and I both have.”

“Mhm?” MC wasn’t going to let him get away with that answer.

“I suppose it’s as simple as I don’t want my brother to go to jail, and Rika doesn’t want her friends to go to jail.” Saeran pauses. “And as complicated as we both want to be able to settle this sort of thing quietly and not in the face of the public…”

He wasn’t ready to tell MC why his brother’s identity couldn’t be exposed.

MC could tell there was more to the story, but Saeran wasn’t going to reveal it. Not yet. _I guess time really does solve everything. _She sighs to herself. Patience was a virtue after all.

“I had a feeling. I’ve only known them for a few days, and I would be lying if I said I didn’t care what happened to any of them. Even the believers.” She admits.

“Thank you for understanding.”

Saeran and MC brainstorm a bit about the approach for the coming day, then their call is further extended with some casual chitchat.

“MC. Don’t forget. Say the word, and I’ll be there faster than Luciel can push up his glasses.” Saeran adds to his farewell.

MC rolls her eyes with a smile. “Don’t worry Saeran. As much as I want to see you, I’d rather handle the danger myself than place you in it.”

“Hmph. I think we have conflicting perspectives with this. You can rely on me,” he insists.

“You both decided to reach out to me because of my experience,” MC shakes her head. “Don’t let your emotions cloud your judgement~” she scolds, playfully. “I know you will be there as a last resort, don’t worry.”

Saeran supposes he could settle for this. He liked her for her strong character anyway. “Alright. Promise me you won’t do something crazy?”

“It’s already crazy this is all happening!” MC laughs. “Goodnight already Saeran~”

The young man shakes the fleeting uneasiness from his mind. He was worrying too much. “Fine, fine. Goodnight, see you later MC.”

♥♥♥

“Hm?” Luciel removes his glasses for a moment to rub his eyes. He wipes his glasses before putting them back on.

“Is there something wrong, Luciel?” V walks over and looks over the redhead’s shoulder. It seems his young friend was watching MC sleep.

Luciel blinks at the footage. “I think I’ve just been missing out on sleep~ Let me check.”

He rewinds the footage. The two focus their full attention on the screen. MC is lying in bed. She shifts occasionally, in minimal movements.

…After a minute or so, V casts a side glance at Luciel. What were they expecting to see?

Golden eyes did not waver. V turns his attention back to the screen.

Luciel suddenly perks up. He frowns and mumbles to himself. “…what…?”

He pauses the footage and rewinds it again, as he leans a bit closer to the screen. Mint eyes looked from Luciel to the screen, to Luciel again.

He sees the young hacker’s brows furrow. Red hair swivels as Luciel suddenly turns to V. “Did you see that, my Savior!?”

V looks blankly at Luciel. He procures a clueless smile.

Luciel rewinds the footage to a specific time. “Watch closely, stay focused on her face.” The Savior scrutinizes the footage.

MC was sleeping. “And then…” Suddenly there’s a wide smile on her face, though it fades to back to expressionless rest. “Did you see that??” Luciel shakes his head in disbelief.

V isn’t sure he understood what Luciel meant. “Maybe she had a good dream?” Smiling in her sleep doesn’t seem like an odd thing.

He rewinds the footage again. “Now look at this corner of the blanket.” Luciel points on the far side of the bed. Nothing happened, until suddenly the corner was slightly untucked. V’s eyebrows raise a bit upon noticing it.

Luciel rewinds the footage a few more times.

“The end of the pillow is at a slightly different angle suddenly.”

“Now her hair is a bit different.”

“Wasn’t her phone closer to the edge of the nightstand?”

V could see it now. At a certain point of the footage, it appeared that a number of details suddenly changed, though ever so slightly. The changes were not seamless at all; it was as if something was missing or…

“There must be a time skip, but there _is _the full number of hours on the footage. There are indeed 15 hours of footage…” Luciel scowls; this is not pleasing at all. His mind is racing. “The footage must have been on a loop to fill the time, and then returned to normal.” Though he couldn’t help himself from checking on MC every 2.35 seconds, he didn’t want to actually find anything wrong.

V steps back, crossing his arms. He looks down at his friend. “What does it mean, Luciel?” The frustrated look on Luciel’s face concerned him. He took a moment to think. The soft hum of the equipment seemed much more obvious in the silence.

“My mind has a million thoughts going through it right now.” Luciel admits.

_Half of them telling me to go over and check on her to make sure she’s safe right now._

“I never understood how the hacker found us or why they were after us.” Luciel sits back in his seat, still watching the footage. “But now seeing MC’s footage being tampered with, could it be that they’re after her…? Maybe they’ve been testing our system before making a move? Was she running away from someone?” Luciel broods further. He swivels in his chair and looks up at his Savior.

“What do you think, my Savior?” Concern was evident in those golden eyes.

V chews on the inside of his cheek, arms crossed. If the current Rika was the one who sent MC, then was this her doing? But V knew she didn’t know how to hack, and he doubted there was really anyone who could match Luciel’s skill.

Someone suddenly comes to his mind, but… could it be? _He_ may be the only one who could be just as talented as Luciel. They did have the same genes.

Thinking of the smaller redhead, V becomes overwhelmed by sorrow. V had not seen nor heard of the boy since he was separated from them those years ago… He shakes his head. There was **no** way such a tragedy could befall these brothers that would have them fight simply by coincidence…

“My Savior?” Luciel stares quizzically at the quiet man.

“I have no idea Luciel,” V shakes his head defeatedly. “I think you may be right; the hacker may be after her. We should be sure to be protective of her.”

Luciel nods solemnly. “I think we should keep this under wraps. If they are tampering with the footage, who knows what else is being hacked…” Luciel’s eyes dart around suspiciously, thinking of the many devices not only in the room, but throughout Magenta.

“My Savior, please excuse me. I suddenly have a lot of things I need to take care of.” Luciel places a hand on his chest and bows his head. “I’ll need to go over the footage of the past few days and see if I can find any kind of pattern. Please notify the other executives in person, and refrain from telling MC for now…”

Luciel looks down, slumping in his chair a bit. “I feel bad that I have to say this, but we still don’t know her relation to the hacker… even if she is a good person. It still works though: if she isn’t related to the hacker, then we don’t want to scare her without enough information yet.”

V nods in agreement. “You’re the chief of security; of course, I trust your judgement. For eternal paradise.” The Savior leaves the room without another word. He shuts the door behind him.

As V walks through the dark empty halls, he wonders what could be going on. Never before did Mint Eye have a hacking issue, and it coincidentally came with the unconventional girl that found Mint Eye on her own.

Yet MC didn’t seem to have any ill intent; in fact, she seemed almost too pure, too strong to have needed to be in a place like this, where those who struggled in the outside world found themselves. Why was she really here?

It had been a while since he had last checked on Rika, but perhaps he should.


	15. Two Puppies

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning of the 6th day and some petty rivalry

Jumin checks his watch. 5am. He glances around the conference table. Zen and Yoosung were exchanging yawns, rubbing the sleepiness from their eyes. The Savior calmly sits and smiles as he always does. Luciel had a determined look on his face that somehow deviated only a bit in seriousness from his usual face, which suggested that he was holding some emotion back -not a good sign.

The young business man leans back in his seat, crossing his arms. It seemed odd that they were having another meeting considering it was only the sixth day since the last one. Didn’t they already discuss a good amount of Mint Eye affairs in that last meeting? This fact and Luciel’s face must mean there is something going on.

_This better be good. At this time, I’m usually grooming Elizabeth the 3rd in preparation for the day._

Jumin was a bit annoyed, but business was business. He would’ve brought Elizabeth the 3rd to the conference room to groom her, but he knew Zen would have overreacted, and he would not hear the end of it; Jumin did not want to deal with it this early in the morning.

Yoosung is the first to speak up. “Is this an executive meeting? Why isn’t MC here? Are we meeting behind her back?” The young man pouts and glares at their Savior.

Everyone sees Luciel’s eye twitch, but he takes a deep breath.

“Yoosung, there’s a reason. We’ll explain when Jaehee gets here, okay?” The redhead smiles patiently at his friend, clasping his hands in front of him after adjusting his glasses.

The other executives, including V, raise their eyebrows, wanting to glance at each other. They resist the urge so as not to offend the redhead. This was probably the most patience Luciel has ever shown Yoosung.

The blonde himself acknowledges this, nodding obediently and looking away. He quietly gulps to himself as the attention of the group turns to the sound of fast, approaching steps.

The conference door opens to a flustered Jaehee. She was out of breath. “I deeply apologize for being late, I-!“

Jumin cuts her short. “It was short notice, don’t worry. You deserved to have your rest. Anyway, you’re here now.” He casts her a side glance. He wasn’t sure where that came from, and it seemed that the other executives were surprised to hear him say that as well. No one responds immediately.

Jaehee nods quickly and sits. The execs look to their Savior.

Luciel and the Savior explain last night’s events and what they speculate to be the situation. The executives seem solemn. Now that MC was one of them, the executives felt determined to protect her… though naturally there was some unease lingering due the mysterious nature that the girl was introduced into their lives.

“Still, I think it’s unfair that she doesn’t know about it. This concerns her safety!” Yoosung exclaims. He crosses his arms.

Zen nods, speaking up as well. “Yeah, why are we hiding this from her? You still don’t trust her Luciel? She’s a good person, we all know that! We should be with her right now!” He leans forward and looks to the others for support.

Jumin and Jaehee glance at each other and stay silent for a moment. By now they both had a soft spot for MC, but they couldn’t argue with the facts.

“The way we are approaching the situation makes sense. Ultimately, MC is a stranger, and we haven’t known her long enough to really know her intentions or who is associated with her.” Jumin states. Jaehee nods in agreement, with a somber look on her face.

“We can only hope that we learn more about her and find more reasons to trust her. We will still protect her, of course.” Jaehee adds.

Everyone seemed a bit lost in thought, pondering further on the situation.

V breaks the silence. “Today I’ll be attending to some outside matters, but please feel free to spend as much time as you want with her, whether it is to protect her or get to know her better. We aren’t saying to avoid her. Either way serves our purpose; just keep an eye on her.”

The executives nod, relaxing a bit. They seem content with this answer. After further discussion, the meeting is adjourned, and everyone returns to their room.

Though his face doesn’t show it, V feels perplexed as he walks through the familiar halls. Something felt different about his friends suddenly, though he couldn’t place his finger on what it was. All he knew was that today’s meeting went much differently than their last meeting, only a few days ago. Though he feels confused, this change felt… better?

♥♥♥

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Luciel: MC~ **

**Luciel: How r u doing meow?**

**Zen: MC, you don’t have to respond;**

**MC: Luciel~**

**MC: I’m doing fine meow :D **

**MC: Do you need anything?**

**Luciel: No ^^**

**Zen: …seriously**

**Luciel: Just wanted to make sure ur adapting well!**

**Yoosung: It feels like everything has gone back to normal**

**Zen: Huh? What do you mean?**

**Yoosung: Now we have a party coordinator**

**Yoosung: we can throw parties for the believers!**

**Yoosung: and invite people to join our paradise!**

**Jumin: Yes, it has been a while.**

**Jaehee: Though, it feels a bit different since MC joined us**

**Jaehee: I’m not sure I can describe it**

**Jumin: I have to agree as well.**

**Jumin: Perhaps having a new executive has brought a new perspective?**

**Jaehee: That is one way to look at it**

**Yoosung: It feels like Rika is back!**

**Luciel: lol**

**Zen: They don’t really have the same personality…**

**Jaehee: Anyway, do you need any assistance with your responsibilities MC?**

**MC: I can handle it!**

**MC: Thank you Jaehee** **💗**

**Jumin: Yes, let us know if you need anything.**

A light knock comes from MC's door.

“Come in~!”

The door opens and the Savior gives a little wave. MC nods in response, holding her index finger up. She wraps up her conversation on the chat.

**MC: Oop, gotta go!**

**MC: Duty calls!**

**Luciel: Mood**

**Zen: See you later MC~**

**-MC left the chatroom-**

MC lowers her phone and looks up. “Good morning, my Savior! Do you need anything from me?”

The Savior chuckles. “I don’t only visit when I need something, do I?” He shakes his head. “No, I just wanted to let you know that I’ll be going outside for a bit, so if you need anything please refer to the other executives.”

_Going outside? Does the Savior do some recruitment as well?_

MC smiles. “Of course, thanks for letting me know!”

The Savior bows. “By the way, I think either Zen or Yoosung wanted to spend time with you today. For eternal paradise.” He gives another little wave and closes the door.

_Zen or Yoosung, huh? I suppose I haven’t really spent time with them yet, so it makes sense. Especially since those two seem intrigued by me…_

MC sighs. She mentally prepares herself to deal with either of those two.

She prepares some tea and snacks while she waits. She tidies up her already clean room. Hmm. She wishes that V told her when they were coming so she knew whether or not she had time to go grab breakfast.

_I’m sure they can message me if I’m not here when they come._

MC gets dressed and bounces out the door. She makes her way to the cafeteria on the first floor. As she gets onto the second floor on the staircase, MC spots Yoosung and Zen coming up the stairs from the first floor.

“Good morning, princess~” Zen winks. “We were just about to head over to your room actually!”

Yoosung nods. He’s holding a plate of something.

“MC, good morning! Uh, I cooked you breakfast!! I wanted to surprise you…” Blushing, Yoosung extends the plate out to MC. It’s an omelet over rice. It was a bit messy, but MC could tell he tried hard to make it neat. There’s a smiley face drawn on the omelet with ketchup.

Zen scoffs and rolls his eyes. “You don’t have to eat that mess, MC. We didn’t know if you ate breakfast or not yet, so I said we should just check on you _first_, and then we can just order food to your room.”

Yoosung glares at his friend, pouting, but he continues to hold the omelet out to MC.

MC shakes her head incredulously at Zen. “How could I possibly turn down such a cute omelet??” She gently grabs the plate from Yoosung, and he beams at her. “Especially since he worked so hard to make it for me! Thanks, Yoosung~” She grins.

“Let’s eat in my room! Have you both eaten already?” MC starts going up the stairs ahead of the two young men.

_Damn. If I knew MC liked home-cooked meals, I would’ve cooked for her myself. Yoosung already said the idea first when we met up earlier, so I couldn’t copy him… _Zen scowls, glaring at Yoosung, but the young man responded with a victorious smug look before following MC.

_So, this is how it’s going to be, huh?_

MC turns to make sure the boys are following her. “Well, you guys can just call from my room and get your food taken up! I prepared some tea and snacks while you wait for your food!”

“Wow, thank you; you’re so cute~ And so prepared! Did you expect our company?” Zen asks.

“Oh, to be honest, the Savior told me that either you or Yoosung were going to come visit!”

Zen and Yoosung glance at each other. That _was_ the plan, but neither Yoosung nor Zen wanted to give up this opportunity to hang out with MC. They decided to both come along; they also didn’t want the other to take advantage of the time alone.

_What was that look? _MC was a bit lost on what it was supposed to mean, but she dismissed it.

They get to her room, and the boys sit at the table while she pours them some tea.

“Let me help you, MC!” Both Zen and Yoosung get up to offer to help MC. They glance at each other again.

“You’re both sweet! No worries, it’s just tea though -I can handle it haha.” She waves them away.

As she pours the tea, MC starts to have a bad feeling about this…

Zen and Yoosung both call for food to be taken up, and MC brings them some tea and snacks while they wait. Her plate sits in front of her.

“Please, go ahead and eat MC; our food will be here soon!” Yoosung insists.

MC politely shakes her head.

_She’s the type to wait until everyone has their food. So cute! _They both think.

The food arrives. Zen has a salad and Yoosung has some pastries. The three engage in some lighthearted chitchat as they munch on their breakfast.

“Mmm~! It’s tasty, Yoosung! I didn’t know you were such a good cook!” MC exclaims. She takes large hearty bites of her food. Yoosung’s eyes were sparkling like amethysts.

Zen chimes in. “Thanks for being so thoughtful, MC. Next time, let me cook for you~ I’ll make sure it’s just as good as the woman in front of me!”

MC giggles. “Thanks Zen, I’ll take you up on that!” She turns to smile at him.

_Ugh. This guy always has something to say; can’t he give up the spotlight for 2 seconds?? _Yoosung refrains from rolling his eyes, but he sees Zen cast a side glance towards him. He ignores him. They continue eating.

“So, what’s the plan today, MC? I didn’t have much planned so I would be happy to help you with anything you need!” Yoosung seems excited.

Zen is surprised that Yoosung had been beating him when it came to taking initiative. _Apparently, that boy can be serious about things he wants. _Zen had been underestimating him.

“I hope you two don’t mind if I tag along~ I’ve been wanting to spend time with MC as well, and I don’t have a rehearsal today,” Zen expresses. He runs his hand through his white hair.

Both young men knew that MC was always inclusive.

“We’re all friends here; of course, I would love for the two of you to join me!” MC grins. “I didn’t have much planned; I actually wanted to know how all of your day-to-day responsibilities are! That way I can have a reference on how I should be fulfilling my duties here at Magenta!”

Both Zen and Yoosung look at MC with admiration; she really did seem to want to get to know them better. Inside, they were disappointed to hear that they will be visiting the others as well.

“Well, Yoosung can explain first what he does all day~” Zen gives his friend the fakest smile anyone’s ever seen. He leans forward, placing his head in his hands as his elbows rest on the table. He tilts his head at Yoosung, and MC looks at the college student, expectedly.

Yoosung grinds his teeth behind an equally fake smile. _He’s trying to embarrass me…_

“Well, since I’m a college student, I have a lot of studying and homework to do, so that takes up most of my time.” He starts. “So that’s what I’m doing in the Medical Ward or in my room, most of the time.”

“Most of the time?” Zen asks, feigning innocence.

Yoosung kicks Zen hard under the table.

“OW!” MC exclaims. “What the-!?” She grabs her leg.

“OMG! I’M SO, SO SORRY MC!” Yoosung’s heart drops as he frantically stutters to explain himself. How in the world did he mess that up?

“Are you alright, MC??” Zen gets up and comforts MC. He turns to his friend. “Why did you do that Yoosung!?”

While MC was focused on her leg, Zen shakes his head at Yoosung with judgment. He didn’t expect that Yoosung would try to kick him. It was a good thing his legs were to the side of the table; he wanted to give MC space for her legs under the table. He gently pats her on the back.

Yoosung is deeply embarrassed for his mistake -as well as enraged that he was being made a fool of, but he wasn’t going to go down this easily.

“I’m so sorry, MC, I thought I felt something on my leg and I kinda freaked out…” He lies. He glances at the tabletop; they were all finished eating.

“May I take a look at your leg, MC?” Yoosung offers, apologetically.

MC nods and turns towards him as he kneels in front of her. She straightens her skirt down past her knees.

Yoosung cringes. There’s a mark on the side of her leg. Yep. It was going to be a bad bruise. The guilt feels heavy in his chest.

“I’m so sorry…” He apologizes again. “I have some ointment in the medical ward that might help, I can go get some…” He pauses. Should he leave Zen alone with her?

“Zen, can you grab some? You’d be faster than me.” Yoosung looks pleadingly towards the actor.

Zen frowns. He wasn’t about to leave MC alone with Yoosung.

“It’s okay… Why don’t we all go down there? It’ll be good to know where it is, for my own reference.” MC insists. They both internally sigh in relief.

In a gentle, but swift, movement Zen picks MC up bridal style. “Only the best for our damsel in distress~” He winks. Their faces are inches apart.

MC blushes despite herself. Who wouldn’t in a situation like this?

_Of course, this backfires on me… _Yoosung coughs loudly to break the silence. Zen ignores him.

“I hope it doesn’t hurt too much, MC: we’ll be there in a second.” He assures her. Zen smiles. The three of them head out the door and down to the medical ward.

…

After applying the ointment onto MC’s leg, Yoosung was washing his hands in the sink across the room. Zen loomed over him. He keeps his voice down.

“What is wrong with you?” The actor shakes his head.

“I was trying to kick _you_…” Yoosung growls. He turns away from the sink and starts organizing some of his tools as an excuse for them not to go back to MC while they sort this out.

He glances over. MC is sitting in a bed right next to the window. She seemed to be looking over the garden.

“Yes. I know. That’s what I’m talking about. There’s seriously something wrong with you.” Zen insults. Their voices were getting louder.

“Me?? You’re the one stealing my attention!”

“Stealing?” Zen chuckles. “You have to _have_ the attention to get it stolen. Besides, who _can_ keep their eyes off this beauty?” He looks smugly at Yoosung.

“Don’t you have some lines to practice Zen, please don’t mind us and go ahead!” Yoosung says loudly. He was beginning to put his tools down aggressively, making clanging noises from the metal. MC turns her head towards the boys.

“And don’t _you_ have a lot of studying to do, Yoosung? MC would definitely understand if you have to prioritize your time~” Zen counters, loudly as well.

The boys start openly bickering in front of her as MC watches them with a blank expression on her face. She was lost on how to handle this situation. She thinks about how she was prepared for one **or** the other, but she didn’t expect them to both show up earlier.

She definitely didn’t expect for it to turn out like this either. Were they actually fighting over her? She feels a bit guilty. MC notes to tone it down with the both of them; she wasn’t trying to cause a competition between friends…

“I’m sorry; am I causing trouble…?” MC’s voice was like a red light for the two bickering. They freeze in place; they must be thinking of a way to salvage the situation, MC figures.

_Please allow me to settle this as gracefully as possible. _She internally begs.

“Both of you must be busy. I don’t want to take up your time.”

Before either of them can start spouting excuses, she speaks up again. “Don’t worry, as a _friend_, I understand when there are important things to take care of! We can always hang out anytime. You both know I am happy to spend time with my _friends_ when they can_._” She smiles widely at them, hoping the damage was light.

She sees the dread on the young men’s faces when she was emphasizing the word “friend.”

_They’ll recover fine from this… I hope that wasn’t too harsh for either of you._ She attempts to make a kind face.

Zen and Yoosung look embarrassedly at each other for exposing themselves. They got the message. They couldn’t look MC in the eye after being rejected so politely.

Suddenly Zen starts chuckling. Yoosung began laughing too. MC was confused, but it wasn’t the first time.

Zen speaks up. “Sorry, MC… we were putting a lot of pressure on you, weren’t we?” He looks apologetically at her. He shakes his head. “We’re just a bit… excited to have a girl as amazing as you as company. I swear we are a lot cooler than this, MC.”

Yoosung timidly nods in agreement.

“Well, I’ll speak for myself, _I’m_ a lot cooler than this.” Zen adds with a chuckle. Yoosung rolls his eyes. “But you’re right, we have a lot of time to get to know you. We should all be friends.”

“Yeah, MC. Sorry about all that! We got a bit carried away…” Yoosung smiles, finally looking up to meet her eyes.

MC is relieved that they took it well. She laughs. “You guys are so funny. Don’t worry about all this; I really do enjoy both of your company.” She shakes her head, and the boys smile sheepishly at her.

She eyes Yoosung. “Was kicking me part of some type of scheme to get me to like you!?” MC wonders aloud, incredulously.

Yoosung turns red. “No, no! It was really an accident!! I’m so sorry!!”

Zen and MC laugh, shaking their heads. Yoosung is never going to live this down.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not relevant, but it's my birthday today! I hope you are all having a decent beginning of 2020!
> 
> Also AAAAAA- posting schedule has almost caught up with my writing (I'm only 3/4 chapter ahead, I used to be like 8 chapters ahead); hopefully I'll have some more time to write so that I can get ahead again! New job has been great, but it's definitely taken away a lot of my energy. Thanks for everyone's support!


	16. A Bit Off

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Last chapter: MC and Saeran had previously agreed that today (her 6th day) may potentially be her final day. MC had wanted to work a bit with all of the execs to not only learn more about their day-to-day activities, but to learn more about each of them as well. She wants to find any evidence that she can make a difference and extend her mission. She had started her day with Yoosung and Zen, addressing their infatuation with her. The day continues!

MC skips ahead of the boys; she seems to be in a better mood. She strikes up conversation with believers passing by. Waiting patiently, the two young men watch at a distance. Yoosung scratches his head, embarrassed when thinking about earlier.

_Were we being too obvious?_

Zen looks at Yoosung, making eye contact and looking equally embarrassed. Seems like they were thinking along the same lines: they sigh in relief. At least nothing got too serious… aside from the bruise that will be on MC’s leg tomorrow.

They are heading down to the first floor. Earlier, MC had told them that she wanted to see the other exec’s day-to-day activities. It was almost lunchtime, so it was likely to run into Jaehee or Jumin stopping by the cafeteria. Those two were very methodical. If they weren’t there, then they could always stop by and see Luciel working in the computer lab.

Zen and Yoosung were nervous about visiting Luciel. They knew their normally goofy friend was doing additional work concerning the hacker and was trying to look further into MC’s background. He probably wouldn’t appreciate being bothered by MC…

They eventually reach the cafeteria on the first floor with ease, and to Zen’s surprise, a majority of the believers had been greeting MC, not only as they were walking down to the first floor, but as they moved through the cafeteria as well.

“Wow, you all weren’t kidding about the impact of what happened the other day, huh? I’m a bit sad to have missed such an influential moment…” Zen mumbles to the others.

MC shrugs humbly. “Shouldn’t the party coordinator be well-liked?” She grins.

A woman in classic business attire approaches them, joining in their conversation. Jaehee shakes her head. “MC, the party coordinator puts together a party of _outsiders_ so that we can recruit them into Mint Eye. It doesn’t have to do with your internal popularity. Although, I suppose it doesn’t hurt.” She corrects, adjusting her glasses.

“Jaehee!!” MC turns and hugs the girl, catching her by surprise. Luckily the hug was gentle; Jaehee’s coffee that she was holding was not sacrificed. Over MC’s shoulder, Jaehee casts a confused look towards the two young men.

Her idol gives her a little wave. “Hey Jaehee! Sorry to bother you, MC wanted to know more about the execs' day-to-day activities.” Zen explains.

“Hmm.” Jaehee ponders a bit about something. “Sure, I suppose it wouldn’t hurt…”

Yoosung and Zen frown and glance towards each other in understanding. They already expressed during their meeting that they found the suspicion towards MC unwarranted.

“I just run around and make sure the chefs, those in facilities, and our various staff have all the resources they need. I make reports as well as collect them from the others. I am also in charge of any research needed, though Luciel is much faster at it than I am. However, he is usually busy doing his own work.” Jaehee clears her throat. “Does that make sense?”

MC nods. “Can we shadow you for a bit Jaehee?”

The woman glances at the men. They shrug.

“Sure, I’ve got quite a lot of work to do so I’m not sure I can chat much, but I would love the company.” She smiles, looking away.

Yoosung sees her expression and smiles. Not even Jaehee could deny that she enjoyed MC’s company. He could never understand how the others could be so untrusting.

…

“Um… could you all take a step or two back?” Jaehee doesn’t need to glance over her shoulder to feel the presence of MC, Yoosung, and Zen almost literally breathing down her back. The three sheepishly comply. They stand in Jaehee’s room while she handles a stack of documents, seated at her desk.

“Would you all like to sit? Please feel free to.” The others glance around the room. Aside from MC, who was staying in a former guest room, the other execs had larger rooms of the same size. Jaehee’s room consisted only of a bed, a table, a few kitchen compliances, a couch, and a desk. It reminded Yoosung of some of his college friends’ studio apartments.

Zen was impressed by the speed by which Jaehee could sign off the documents. Sometimes after performances he had to sign his autograph for hundreds of fans, and he thought _he_ was fast.

Yoosung was just surprised that she could accomplish so much in a few hours. Is this how it would be if he could actually stop getting distracted? Or was Jaehee just a monster?

MC steps away and pours Jaehee some water. She hands the cup to her friend.

_Jaehee must be a bit dehydrated from us walking around everywhere. Magenta is a large building, and it felt like we just scoured every square inch to get these papers!_

Jaehee raises an eyebrow after taking a sip but continues working. “Not coffee?”

“No reason for it. You’re already on a caffeine high, aren’t you?” MC chuckles. “Don’t want to be jittery while you work, right? Stay hydrated!”

Jaehee responds with a smile, still not turning away from the papers. “Ha ha sure… alright.”

“When do you take breaks, Jaehee?” Yoosung looks over her shoulder.

“Um… I try to take ten-minute breaks when I start getting tired.”

_Only ten minutes!?_ Yoosung starts feeling very self-conscious about himself.

“So, you really have so much work that you can’t afford to take a longer break??” MC pouts.

“No, it’s not that. I always finish my work, but then I find some research to do or some planning. Or I’ll start something else.” A sigh escapes Jaehee as she adjusts her glasses. This was true, yet it felt a bit... sad saying it for some reason.

She slows down as she signs the last few papers, closing her eyes for a few seconds before looking up from her work. The boys perk up as she looks at them and MC tilts her head, expecting a request for coffee.

“What’s next, Jaehee??” MC smiles. “I’m ready to help you with anything and everything!” The boys nod beside her.

Jaehee gets up with the finished stack in her hand. She stumbles a bit, almost dropping the papers. Zen leaps forward, ready to grab them if they had fallen.

“Jaehee! Careful, did you trip over anything?” Zen asks. The group examines the clean floor. Nothing was around her desk.

“My apologies. I must have tripped over myself, haha.” Jaehee laughs nervously, rubbing her eyes. She makes sure the stack of papers is straightened before heading out the door.

MC frowns and the others follow a few seconds behind her as they go to deliver the paperwork. Jaehee leads the way as the three shrug and take their time down the hallway to the staircase. They descend. MC lightly jogs to catch up to the woman.

“Hey Jaehee, where are W- AH!” MC begins to ask, but the boys watch in horror as the girls fall down the stairs before they can react. They tumble to the second floor.

“_Are you two okay!?”_

Zen and Yoosung rush down the stairs to the two women sprawled on the floor. Jaehee feebly pulls herself up on her forearms. Zen leans down to support her.

Jaehee, still shivering from the shock, looks worriedly around her. “MC!” she cries as she spots the brunette on the ground to her right, unmoving. She winces as she reaches out to her.

“Don’t move Jaehee, are you alright?” Zen asks, still holding her in his arms. Yoosung hovers over MC but is afraid to move her. He walks around her, trying to find signs of serious injuries.

Yoosung looks worriedly towards Jaehee. “What happened Jaehee?”

She bites her bottom lip. “I-I think I might’ve stumbled a bit on the stairs, and MC tried to catch me while she caught up to me, but I think it was too late so we _both_ fell…” She glances towards MC before covering her face. “I should’ve just taken a break…”

_If MC wasn’t there to almost catch me… _She shudders at the thought, but the sight of MC on the ground chills her bones. Jaehee holds herself, sadly realizing that MC had broken her fall; she had taken no damage because of her.

_But I’m not only putting myself in danger, but those close to me as well. She shouldn’t have been there to catch me._

Stuck in her thoughts, Zen gently moves Jaehee to lean her against the nearest wall. He and Yoosung go to MC and decide to take her to the medical ward. For the second time today.

♥♥♥

In the bustle of the more crowded part of town, Rika sits at a local coffee shop with a few of her organization members. She has her hair up and seems to be discussing something fervently. Every once in a while, she sips her coffee. The others listen intently and add their own suggestions. Even when she’s just listening, Rika looks so invested. She adjusts her jacket a few times; it was a windy day, so perhaps she was a bit cold.

Across the street is a restaurant. Because of the weather, most people were huddled in their jackets, sweaters, and coats. One man sits at a table in front of the restaurant, enjoying his lunch. He sits facing the coffee shop across the street.

If he removed his sunglasses or hood, one might be surprised by the unique natural color of his eyes and hair. But he wasn’t looking for attention.

Rika and her friends burst into laughter. V smiles, watching his beloved. It was bittersweet whenever he checked on her; she seemed so happy… without him.

He looks down at his meal and takes a few hearty bites. It takes a bit of travel time to get to town, so this lunch is his first meal today. The sandwiches are pretty good here. Maybe he’ll pick up a few for the execs. With good food and seeing Rika, could V really ask for anything more? He felt a warmth in his chest. He wondered if this was what happiness felt like.

But then he feels his stomach twist; he focuses on his lunch in front of him. He could never stay away from Rika for too long, but he couldn’t be around for too much either. He wanted to give her all the space she wanted, but it was painful to see her and not be with her. He looks over again.

Seeing Rika’s smile provided the same sensation that a freezing person feels when they’ve spotted a fireplace in someone else’s house. The sound of her laughter was like one’s favorite song playing in public, but the source of the sound was unknown no matter how much one could try to look. In these moments, V feels like he’s found something special when he is around her, but he was still lost.

A content smile rests on his face, but he sighs. For a moment, the crowd thins, and the chatter lessens. Conversations could be heard from across the street.

“So, be sure that you get the decorations on time, and I think we’ll be all set!” Rika exclaims.

“Thank you for the list, Rika. I won’t be able to miss anything this time!” One of her company replies. The crowd chuckles.

_As responsible as ever. I’m sure their fundraising event will go perfectly._ V finishes his lunch as the group begins to chat casually.

V begins to tidy up his table. _She seems fine. I should go back to Mint Eye._

“Rika, you keep yawning! Don’t tell me you lost sleep last night!”

“Oooh!! Have you been hanging out with someone Rika~? Don’t tell me it’s a _boy!_” The others start getting excited, teasing her.

“OMG tell us girl!”

V's movements are stalled midway. He fidgets with his sunglasses as he watches the group. A cold gust of air blows along the street, disheveling Rika's hair.

Rika laughs after fixing her hair and waves her hand at them. “Oh stop! I told you all that I already have someone special in my life!”

V's heart skipped a beat.

The others groan in response. “You’re kidding Rika; I would be quicker to believe you’re dating _Ray_ before believing in a guy none of us have ever seen! Are you sure you aren’t making him up??”

“Oh EW! Ray is like a brother to me! He has someone he likes by the way~ but that isn’t my business to say more about.” Rika rolls her eyes. “Sorry. My guy travels a lot, so I’m never able to introduce him. That’s not my fault. I hope one day I can introduce you all.” The others start bantering, unconvinced of the existence of this person.

V feels his heart drop. _Well, it has been a while since she’s left… this sort of thing would be natural…_

Another harsh breeze cuts through the street. It almost blows V’s sunglasses off; he holds onto them until the breeze passes.

“Oh! Didn’t you say that he had light blue hair or something? How is that even possible?”

V feels his face start to burn up as he realizes. He could feel his heart beating loudly in his chest as he tries to keep track of the conversation; the bustle of the street was picking up again.

“That’s what you say but look -I think there’s a person across the street with bluish hair!” Another says, pointing in his direction. V almost didn’t see the gesture through the people walking.

_What!? _V reaches up and finds that his hood was no longer covering his head. He quickly puts it back on and tries to position himself behind some other patrons to obscure their line of sight.

“Where? The restaurant?” The group starts straining their necks in an attempt to spot a blue-haired man across the street through the passing crowd.

“I don’t see them, are you sure you aren’t imagining it?”

“…are you talking about the guy with black and gray hair?” V is relieved as they start to lose interest in the topic.

“Oh… they disappeared. They were sitting somewhere over there, but they must’ve left.” The accuser shrugs, and the conversation takes a turn to a different topic.

The others seem distracted, but V doesn’t move an inch. Rika is still facing his direction. The expression on her face makes V want to reveal himself.

He could see Rika's eyes darting, searching for any sign of him. She looked so hopeful, then soon, disappointed. V wasn’t sure, but she might’ve had tears in her eyes as she turned back to her friends.

_Rika… do you actually want to see me? _He felt his heart weigh twice as heavy in his chest. He would give anything to know the answer.

To his great dismay, Rika starts crying in front of her friends. They scramble to comfort her.

“I’m sorry… I know you don’t get to see him much; we shouldn’t have teased you about it.” They apologize. V maneuvers his way out of the restaurant and makes his way across the street.

Rika covers her face, embarrassed. She wipes her tears and tries to compose herself.

“No, no, sorry… I had just seen him yesterday actually, and it was the first time in a long time. I just miss him.” Rika and her friends are occupied as V passes by them and into the café.

V feels tears form in the corner of his eyes after hearing Rika say that she missed him. He approaches the counter, looking at the menu.

“Hello, could I order a medium #3 for the curly-haired blonde woman sitting outside in a group?”

After paying for the drink, V waits for another moment, slips past the group once more and makes his way down the street. Rika seemed to be doing better, and V was able to _just _catch her surprised “Oh, thank you!" when she got her favorite drink.

V walks faster to be sure he was out of view.

He smiles. He didn’t know that Rika still thought of him. He feels a bit dazed from happiness. Her voice plays again in his head.

V slowly comes to a stop. People pass by him on either side. Seems that the rush was back. That street was always so busy.

…_Did she just say she saw me yesterday?_

♥♥♥

“I swear, I’m alright!” MC smiles as widely as she can, but the others aren’t convinced. MC tucks her hair behind her ears and slowly sits up in bed. Sheets that were wrapped around her fall from her torso. A pitcher of water sits on the side table; some believers had seen the fall and a vase was already filled with flowers in the short time she was unconscious. The execs are the only other people in the medical ward. Yoosung lays on his stomach on a bed across from MC. Jumin and Zen stand at the foot of MC's bed. Luciel stands to off to the side of the group with a blank, distracted expression.

“You look undeniably feeble.” Jumin states. The others’ silent responses suggest their agreement.

_Aha… I can always rely on Jumin to be honest. _Despite this, MC refuses to agree. She frowns, but she doesn’t even open her mouth before being cut off.

“Now, now, don’t speak missy! We all know you want to be strong, but it’s alright,” Zen insists, pulling the sheets back around her shoulders as she lies back down in bed. “Just rest a little, please.”

“Please do not make the same mistake as me…” Jaehee mumbles from the bed to the left of MC. She turns away from everyone.

This saddens MC; she decides to comply.

“I just have one thing I want to say before getting back to work~” Luciel bounces to MC’s bedside. He smiles at her, but everyone can tell he was not happy. “MC~ Please be careful. Even when we are with you, it seems we can’t keep you out of trouble!” His eyes shoot daggers at Zen and Yoosung. They wince.

He quickly grins and closes his eyes; but the short moment of eye contact was enough to see the heavy concern. “OK, gotta go back to work now!” He turns and skips out of the room without another glance. That boy just seems to say whatever he wants and leaves.

Was this much concern really necessary? _I understand I fell down the stairs and lost consciousness for a bit, but I don’t even have a concussion nor any injuries…_

“You seem to be having bad luck today.” Jumin still stood at the edge of her bed.

_I’ll say. _Feeling a bit discouraged from the outcome of events today, MC sinks deeper into the bed. She doesn’t bother to respond.

The door loudly bangs open. “I just had an idea!” Luciel yells, as he’s swinging the door open.

“Dude, didn’t you _just _leave?” Zen and Yoosung look blankly at the young man who had gone through the effort to make such a dramatic exit, just to come back within a few minutes.

“Sometimes when you walk away is when you get the best ideas!” the redhead chirps.

Yoosung looks quizzical, trying to remember if that was a saying, as Luciel bounces by him. He approaches MC once more.

“Why don’t you spend some time with me? You want to see how we all work, right? Mine’s the easiest!” _And I can keep an eye on you so that you can stay safe. _He grins.

_Being a hacker is the easiest?_ MC amuses him with a smile. “Okay, sure Luciel.” She looks to the others for approval, and they all seem satisfied with this plan.

“If you end up feeling alright MC, join me later. Otherwise you can always accompany me another day.” Jumin offers. MC nods from bed as Luciel gives him a thumbs up.

The young man extends a hand to her and helps her out of bed slowly. MC is relieved that she doesn’t appear to be suffering any injuries. She silently hopes that Luciel will actually let her engage with his work since he’s been pretty secretive about his work thus far. Well, even if she was just forced to sit in the corner, at least she wouldn’t be wasting her potentially final day in bed.

…

_I was exaggerating when I thought being forced to sit in a corner would be okay._ MC sighs and slumps over the small table that was paired to her swivel chair. _At least he is openly working in front of me…_

The soft buzzing of the computer and the other machinery, along with the sounds of typing, were the only thing that kept MC company for the last two hours. She was given a laptop to keep her “occupied,” but she wasn’t sure what she would do with a laptop that couldn’t access the internet. Play Minesweeper? She would even rather talk about pointless things and learn more about anything… Luciel would look over at her a few times, just to check in if she needed anything, but in such a terse manner that discouraged any further conversation.

At the sound of her sigh, Luciel looks back at her, removing his headphones. “Do you need something?” MC shakes her head.

“Okay? Don’t distract me.” He puts his headphones back on and continues working.

MC purses her lips, irritated. She sighs loudly on purpose, but he doesn’t respond this time, except to apparently put up the volume of his music. _If you were actually listening to music the first time, you wouldn’t have heard me sigh. _MC rolls her eyes.

_What exactly was the point of bringing me here with you? It doesn’t even seem like you want me here._

She decides to amuse him for the time being. MC opens up the laptop and a document and starts taking notes -just some basic planning for the party. Luciel hits his desk in frustration before typing furiously. MC raises an eyebrow in his direction. She alternates between planning and looking at Luciel’s monitors.

Luciel made a certain window larger on the display. He’s defending against the hacker. In a strike of luck, MC focused on her own monitor just as Luciel’s red hair swiveled in a telltale sign he was going to look at her. Something was different about the way he looked at her, at least from what she could tell in her peripheral vision. He stared at her for a full half minute before slowly turning away. MC calmly acted as though she didn’t notice him staring.

_He looks… skeptical? _

Luciel starts focusing on his task at hand. MC darts her eyes between the screen without moving her head, just in case Luciel tried to catch her looking.

He stops typing suddenly. His glasses glint as he turns to MC. “Do you see something interesting MC?”

She stares at him blankly. He adjusts his glasses.

“Did you know that sometimes you can see what’s behind you in the reflection of the sides of your glasses?” His face was stern. He was definitely implying that he saw her eyeing his screens.

“Is hacking hard? That’s what you do right? You type so fast!” MC says, wide-eyed. She quietly hopes her quick wits will get her away from his suspicion.

She realizes why Luciel had looked at her so skeptically just now. Most people don’t understand how hacking works. She had perked up notably when he started focusing on the hacker; it must’ve signaled that she might understand what he was doing. Just have to act calm and clueless…

“Yeah! But right now, I’m just trying to hack into people’s social media to talk about Mint Eye~” Luciel lies. He doesn’t break his stern look.

“Oh wow!” MC nods, with an incredulous look on her face. “How does that work? Could you explain to me what the codes mean?” She smiles sweetly at him. Of course, she knew what the codes meant.

“Hmm. Most people don’t really care about how codes work; why do you want to know?” He crosses his arms. MC feels a bit nervous; apparently, he was suspicious enough to focus on this conversation rather than on defending against the hacker!

“Why not? I can be the useful to all the execs if I can learn a teeny bit about what you all do!” MC claims, grinning. “You all look so busy… I just wanted to see how I could help.” She maintains eye contact with him.

Luciel looks away, tilting his head. He must be thinking.

“Hm. How are you feeling, MC? If you are feeling alright, why don’t you help Jumin then? I don’t really need help…” He suggests, shrugging.

MC couldn’t tell if this meant she had escaped his suspicions and he didn’t want to keep her here, or if he wanted to get rid of her so that she wasn’t watching him. Maybe it was a bit of both.

“Well… okay! If you don’t need help with anything, then just be sure you take care of yourself.” MC texts Jumin to find out where to meet him. She stands.

_“You_ take care of yourself.” Luciel says solemnly.

She waves a hand at him. “You all are too serious! Do bad things happen around here?” MC teases. “Isn’t this our paradise?”

“Sometimes bad things happen to bring you to paradise. That’s how I got here…” Luciel turns away from her to face his computer again as MC approaches him to stand next to him. “The darkness tells us where the light is right?”

“But how do you know what the light looks like if you’ve never seen it?” She looks over his shoulder.

“How do you know what you want to do if you’ve never done it? How do you believe in people when you couldn’t believe people in the past?” he counters. “Aren’t these situations all the same? I guess it’s just a feeling, right?” He stares at his computer but doesn’t type. MC senses a bit of sadness through words that should’ve been hopeful.

“Do you feel like this is right?”

Luciel looks at her blankly, and they silently hold eye contact for a moment. MC knew it was risky asking a question like that, but she felt like he was in an open state; at worst case she could pretend she was being philosophical rather than asking about anything specifically.

Luciel bites his lip, pausing. “I feel-"

There’s a knock on the metal door that interrupts his statement. Luciel shuts his mouth and opens the door. They were expecting Jumin; the dark-haired man is indeed at the door.

“I apologize for taking so long. I hope you weren’t too distracted Luciel. Shall we, MC?” Jumin steps to the side and gestures in front of him.

“Ah well…” MC turns to look to Luciel, wanting to finish their conversation, but he already turned to the computer, hands gliding over the keyboard.

She nods at Jumin and follows his lead out of the room.

_Damn. After hours of silence and awkwardness we were finally having a conversation, and it was going in a sincere direction at that! _MC shakes her head.

Jumin silently leads the way as they continue down the hall and to a doorway she hadn’t been through yet. They stop in front of the door.

“Here’s the doorway to the basement,” Jumin explains. “After you.” He gestures towards the door.

MC gulps. She knew she was going to have to see what went on in here eventually.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hi all! I don't want to rush chapters, so after next chapter (17) I will be taking a short hiatus to plan out the future chapters. I think next chapter will be a good break point; I apologize for this delay! Thank you all for your support and understanding!!


	17. MC Makes Decisions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC goes to support Jumin, and they make their way to the basement. Naturally, trouble ensues, and MC is faced with decisions at every turn.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! Since this is more or less a season finale, I wanted to make it a bit longer!

MC stares blankly at the sight of the believer on the ground. This was the fourth one already. Her heart twists painfully, but she cannot respond the way she wants to in this situation. She doesn’t want any attention on her.

Jumin does not do all the work. He sometimes is involved directly, but more often it seems he makes other believers do it. MC is disturbed by this: What if some of these believers are friends? Do they check to make sure that they aren’t before making them do this to each other?

MC is not surprised that violence was involved here. She was more surprised it had been hidden so well, though it had been suggested and hinted at in conversation.

Jumin glances over at MC. He is intrigued by her response. Admittedly, he was looking forward to seeing her feel uncomfortable, to hear expressions of either fiery passion or pleas of mercy in their defense, or to see her struggle to endure the sight. Since human emotion sometimes eluded him, it was always amusing to see how others react to these situations. However, she seemed to have no reaction at all; it felt a bit strange to see this from a kind girl like MC. Jumin wonders what she must’ve gone through in her life. Perhaps she fit in here more than he expected.

He crosses his arms. _Hmph. Odd. I feel like this is enough for today. _They had only dealt with four people so far, and usually he went through at least ten. _It just isn’t amusing this time. Maybe I’m not in the right mood…_

“I think this is enough for today.” Jumin says suddenly. The believers stop, unable to hide their surprised faces. Jumin ignores this response. He points to three of the four believers.

“Take these three and bring them to the medical ward. This one, throw in one of the cells.”

The believers nod and carry the three injured believers away. MC tries to analyze why one of the believers was being sent to a cell. All she knew was that each of them had broken the rules one way or another. She looks at Jumin quizzically. He understands her look.

“He is a different case.” He answers her silent question. “The others were causing some petty trouble. They might’ve stolen something from another or got into a fight.” They watch as the believers drag the man to another section of the basement. He struggles against them to MC’s surprise; she thought he was unconscious from the severe beating he just took.

“But this man was trying to plan something. The believers he tried to corrupt were the ones who turned him in.” Jumin shakes his head. “It’s a shame, he wasn’t breaking any rules aside from that either. I thought he was happy.”

MC gulps. She notes to be careful about how she words things. She nods in response.

“We will have a word with him in a bit.” Jumin explains. “Do you have any questions at the moment?” He looks at her with a raised eyebrow.

“Is this what happens down here every day?” She doesn’t break eye contact.

Jumin's mouth shows signs of the slightest smirk. He can always respect someone who is straightforward.

“Not every day.” He sees her visibly relax a bit. “Only when necessary.”

_Vague, but at least it isn’t everyday… watch it be every **other** day or something. _MC will take what she can get. She smiles and turns towards the other room, but Jumin stops her, placing a hand on her shoulder.

“I have a question, actually.”

MC turns to look at him. He removes his hand.

“Your reaction to all this is intriguing. What have you been through?”

MC stares blankly at him for a moment. Jumin knew that a direct question would not phase MC; she seemed to be a similar kind of person.

“Well…” MC frowns, looking to the side and breaking eye contact.

Jumin frowns. “Nevermind.” He turns to the cell room. “There’s no need to be reminded of unpleasant memories. I apologize.” He adds, before going into the other room.

MC's eyebrows raise in shock. That was… very thoughtful of him. She silently breathes out in relief; she didn’t have to come up with a lie, at least. The reason why she has no reaction is because of the years of secret agent work she had put in. Unfortunately, she had seen worse than what just took place. In one instance she had gone through it herself…

She follows Jumin into the other room.

She walks in just as Jumin seemed to be finished talking with the believer in the cell. The believer is on the ground behind bars, while Jumin gets up from squatting in front of the door. He nods at MC to acknowledge her before turning to one of the believers who was assisting them as a guard. Jumin gestures for MC to stay at the doorway.

MC nods and takes a look around the dimly lit room. Five cells line both sides of the room, with a walkway down the middle. A small room is open at the end of the walkway that MC assumes to be a small office for the guard or whoever is watching the prisoners. The area is surprisingly clean, suggesting that it either isn’t used much or is just cleaned very often because _it is_ used much. MC hopes for the former.

Someone can be heard coming down the basement steps in a hurry. A believer appears at the steps, looking around. He spots MC.

“Ms. MC! Have you seen Mr. Jumin?” MC gestures in the room.

“Excuse me!” He darts past MC and gets Jumin's attention, speaking quickly and quietly. He nods, with a stern look on his face.

They make their way out of the room, but Jumin stops outside the cell room to speak with MC.

“MC, I am needed upstairs. Would it be alright if you supported the believer here? He is simply going to stand guard, and you can ask him anything about his job as you like. I’ll be right back.” The guard waves in acknowledgement.

“And… be careful with the prisoner. He’s dangerous.” He adds. After MC nods to confirm her understanding, Jumin leaves with the flustered messenger. The sound of their steps slowly fade away.

The guard sits in the room at the end of the walkway and waves MC over. As she walks, she can feel the prisoner watching her. She maintains a blank face; desperate whispers can be heard through the bars.

_I can’t quite hear him unless I get closer... but first I should check in with the guard._

MC smiles as she stops in front of the guard. Her eyebrows raise in recognition; he was part of the group she sat with for lunch with V yesterday.

“Hello, Ms. MC!” He gets up to shake her hand. “It’s nice to see you again. How have you been?”

“It’s nice to see you as well!” She responds, gesturing towards her leg. “I don’t know if you heard, but I bruised my leg earlier today. So, it’s been a day.”

“Oh! I heard you fell down the stairs; are you alright?”

She chuckles. “Oh... actually I got bruised from something else, and _then_ I fell down the stairs...” She whimsically shrugs. “But I’m alright! No need to worry.”

The guard nods, looking slightly concerned behind their friendly smile.

“So, are you _the _guard of cells?”

“Oh no, my turn to be guard just started: we rotate this position. That’s how most of the positions work here. We all have our own handful of duties, and we rotate through them.” He explains. “I personally like it; nothing is too hard, and it gives us variety.”

Not bad. MC is a bit impressed that they are given _some_ choice; she supposes she should expect something like this from V’s Mint Eye. He’d want them to be happy. She nods, glancing around the room. There is a hanging rack of keys, a cabinet with shelves full of binders of some kind of paperwork, a desk, a chair, a landline phone, and a mini fridge. Feels comfy. MC wonders how much of those filed papers were prepared by Jaehee.

She feels her phone vibrate a few times. The guard gestures an okay to use her phone. He turns away and starts filling out a set of papers on the desk.

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Jumin: MC, I have paperwork to take care of**

**Jumin: Do you feel comfortable being stationed in the basement and supporting the guard?**

**Jumin: I can send someone else to do it.**

**Yoosung: Not me!**

**Yoosung: Im working rlly hard**

**Yoosung: Taking care of the believers you just sent here**

**Zen: Practicing**

**MC: Have fun!**

**Zen: Thanks cutie~**

**Luciel: BYE BABE**

**-Zen left the chatroom-**

**Luciel: Im busy too :c**

**Luciel: But I wouldn’t mind taking a break in the basement!**

**Jumin: This is not an excuse to get distracted.**

**Jumin: Is this why we still have this hacker issue?**

**Yoosung: oooooo**

**Luciel: ;w;**

**Luciel: Wait hes actually really good**

**Luciel: Ive never been so focused before!**

**Luciel: Which is why I have to have breaks :D**

**MC: I can handle it, don’t worry guys!**

**Jumin: Very well.**

**Luciel: wait wat about me**

**Jumin: Do your job.**

**Luciel: yes sir ;_;**

**Luciel: BTW whens the Savior coming back?**

**Luciel: Anyone know?**

**Yoosung: If anyone would know**

**Yoosung: It would be you**

**Yoosung: Since he mainly tells you everything**

**Luciel: Ya true**

**Luciel: Stop being jealous**

**Yoosung: I’m just saying he doesn’t always tell us everything.**

**Jumin: I’m afraid I don’t know when he’ll be back**

**MC: Does he stay out for long?**

**Jumin: I’m sure he will arrive before the end of the day**

**Jumin: Anyways, that was all I had to say.**

**Jumin: I’ll be getting back to work**

**Luciel: ok I guess same…**

**Jumin: MC, let me know if you need anything**

**Luciel: MC, wink at the camera if you need anything**

**Yoosung: …**

**Luciel: OMG SHE’S WINKING RIGHT NOW**

**Luciel: WHAT DO YOU NEED**

**MC: for u to go back to work**

**Jumin: lol**

**-Luciel left the chatroom-**

**Yoosung: Give me a reminder too, MC!**

**MC: Good luck with your work, Yoosung!**

**Yoosung: :) **

**MC: Bye everyone :D**

**-MC left the chatroom-**

“Enjoying your time here, Ms. MC?” The guard asks. MC is smiling, putting her phone back into her pocket and shaking her head.

“The execs are an interesting group of people.” MC says, still shaking her head.

The guard chuckles. “Friends are always a delight.”

MC can still hear some whispering coming from the prisoner. Was he trying to get her attention? MC glances in his direction but remains unsure on whether it was okay to speak to him. She wanted to check in on him and hear what he had to say. Curiosity certainly made her wonder what he was saying to the other believers, which got him in trouble.

The guard noticed her look. “Is he scaring you Ms. MC? I can probably handle watching him on my own. The guard is usually on their own anyway.” He shrugs.

_He misunderstands my reaction, but I can use this._

“It’s alright, Jumin asked me to stay, after all. I just don’t know what he’s saying. Would it be alright for me to talk to him?”

The guard crosses his arms, thinking. He looks her in the eye. “He’s dangerous. You shouldn’t...”

MC looks at him with pleading eyes. The guard sighs, turning around and facing his desk and paperwork. “Well... I’ll turn a blind eye, but please be careful.”

MC notes the ring of keys hanging off a clip connected to his back pocket. There is a camera in the corner of the guard room so that it’s facing out into the cell room, but there doesn’t seem to be a camera in the cells themselves. Does Jumin or someone hang out here a lot, or is there simply not many prisoners?

“Thanks~” she whispers. She slowly moves out of the room and turns towards the prisoner. MC stands in the doorway; they stare at each other.

He whispers something to her, but she can’t quite understand. Seeing her face, he gestures her to come closer. She obliges, standing two feet away from the cell. The guard looks over but makes no comment; MC infers that must mean her distance was still acceptable.

“Ms. MC. How are you?” he whispers with a raspy voice. The man sits on the ground, leaning on the bars. His robe is a bit tattered from the beating he took earlier, but he kept his hood on, obscuring part of his face. He smiles weakly at her.

MC sits on her knees in front of him. “I should ask how _you_ are. Are you alright?”

“Please, could you get me some water?” He asks weakly. MC nods, quietly going into the break room. She grabs a bottle of water from the fridge. The guard looks at MC, but simply smiles at her; either he was thinking that the water was for her, or he didn’t care too much. MC takes this as a good sign either way. He probably wasn’t going to interfere then.

Going back to the prisoner, she places the water bottle between them. After she backs away, he slowly reaches for the water through the bars and hesitantly drinks it. He looks at her suspiciously.

“You actually gave me water… why?” He chuckles and starts coughing after getting a few laughs in. “No need to keep up the act, Ms. MC. I saw your blank face as we were screaming just a few moments ago. I have no choice: I _have_ to be polite, but you -you’re an executive. You can save your energy on me.”

The comment stung more than MC would’ve wanted, but he was right. She couldn’t blame him for feeling this way; no normal person would trust the people in charge here.

MC chews a bit on her bottom lip. It seems that choosing to have a blank expression backfired on her. _I know it might be useless, but I want to be on the good side of this believer since we might want the same thing. He has to trust me first…_

“I’m sorry. You misunderstand me: I’m also fighting for my survival here. I held back my reactions so that I wouldn’t cause a scene.”

A look of shock crosses the prisoner’s face for a moment before returning to a guarded glare. A moment of silence passes; MC could tell he was thinking about his words carefully.

He starts speaking slowly. “If you don’t want to cause trouble, then why are you bothering to talk to me…? You know I’m a traitor.” He sits up in his cell. MC inches a bit towards the bars.

“I’m interested in you. What did you tell the others that branded you as a traitor?”

He scoffs. “…you just want to get information from me.” He scoots away from the cell door.

“No... You asked me a question, so I gave you a straightforward answer.”

_I don’t want to give myself away… but even if this backfires, I’m sure I can get myself out of that situation. I’ll take that risk…_

“Listen,” MC insists, lowering her voice. “I’m on your side. I want to help the believers escape. That’s what you want too right?” She stands a foot away from the bars so that the prisoner could hear her.

He perks up to this confession. He stands up and meets her eyes; a serious expression rests on his face. It seems that he was taking her seriously now. MC patiently waited for his reply as they stared at each other. She wishes she could hear what was going through his head.

MC hears the squeak of a chair being pushed back. Out of her peripheral vision, she makes out the guard turning to look at her. He stares at them staring at each other. He makes no comment.

_I need to be careful here. I do want to win this believer over, but I can’t make the guard suspicious of me._

She can see the guard turn away and go back to his paperwork. MC is grateful for his trust. Though she hadn’t looked away, she refocuses her attention back to the prisoner. She starts to take a step back.

“Wait-!” He quickly whispers, reaching out to her. MC moves her leg back.

“I-is this true?” He looks at her with wide eyes. “The times I’ve seen you, and that time at lunch: that wasn’t an act? You really are that nice?” MC could see the suspicion ebbing away.

“Yes! I want the believers to feel comfortable around me,” She explains.

“It’s hard to believe…” He admits. “But if it’s true…”

He looks at her with a determined look on his face. “Will you help me escape then? I have nothing to lose at this point.”

_I didn’t expect to find an ally this quickly… I do have some ideas, but I don’t have any thorough plans for escape yet!_

Her worry must have been painted on her face.

“Don’t worry Ms. MC. I’ve been planning this for a long time. It’s turned for our luck now that we have an executive on our side!” He looks excited.

This time she couldn’t hide her shock. It felt like her arrival was perfect timing.

He holds his arms up, glancing nervously in the guard’s direction. His arms were tied with rope. He lowers his voice further; MC had to be right next to the bars to hear him.

“Me getting caught is a bit of a snag in our plan; but if you could cut the ropes, everything else is already set up.” He whispers quickly.

The guard is still occupied in his work. MC feels unsure if this will go well; it was all happening too suddenly. Could she trust these rebels to have a solid plan? And what about the keys to the door?

_But if there are others relying on him… I should help them._

She reaches through the bars and delicately unties the ropes for the prisoner.

“How naïve…” She catches his smirk as he grabs her wrists and pull her towards him, pinning her to the bars as she stumbles forward.

He only had a second to laugh.

MC hated being underestimated, but it worked to her advantage most of the time. She spits in his face, catching him off guard, and in a swift movement she turns him and holds him in a chokehold, the bars in between them. “How dare you-!”

He struggles against her. “_What? How did you do that?”_ he squeals. MC hears the guard door close; the guard had come out because of the noise they had made.

“I don’t have to answer you. I can’t believe I trusted you.” She snarls. “Guard! I need your help!”

The guard rushes over. The prisoner laughs.

“Why are you laughing!?” MC tightens her hold on him.

“I can’t believe you trusted him too.” He coughs, before something hard slams across the back of MC’s head.

She falls, her head throbbing and spinning. She hears the sound of keys jangling and gets kicked a bit before being thrown somewhere hard on the floor.

“Poor girl. You can’t escape from here. Not with the way you trust people on a whim. You’re probably just being used.” She hears them laugh at her. A door slams, and she hears them run away. The steps recede alongside her consciousness.

♥♥♥

Angry voices imply arguing. It’s loud and the sound rings in her ears.

Fault. Protect. Stupid. Dangerous. There are a few words that she can make out.

“_Stop yelling. You’re upsetting her.”_ Yoosung’s voice cuts through the others. It goes silent.

She can feel them staring at her.

MC doesn’t want to open her eyes. Aside from feeling physically weak, she feels emotionally distraught as well. Maybe she really isn’t cut out for this work anymore. Maybe this was beyond the scope of her abilities.

She feels tears form in her eyes. Amazing, just what she wanted -to be the pitiful damsel in distress in front of them. MC wants to lift her arm to wipe her eyes but a stinging pain flashes through her left arm; she cries out suddenly in response.

“Don’t move MC!” Yoosung says to her in a soft voice. His voice is much closer than before.

MC slowly opens her eyes. Luckily her face didn’t seem to hurt. The execs are around her again, in the medical ward. V is among them this time. It was nice to see him back.

Opening her eyes was not the smart move. The tears were now flowing freely. Any anger or judgement that was on anyone’s face instantly turned into pure dismay. They glance sadly at each other.

Jumin speaks up. “MC, this is my fault. I’m so sorry this happened to you.” He gulps. “I’ll take responsibility of this, and I can nurse you in my room until your injuries heal.”

Zen didn’t seem to like that. “No, you all have been terrible hosts to her. Clearly, _I’m _the only one capable of taking care of her. I have less duties anyway.”

“I’m literally the doctor here. I will watch her _and _Jaehee _and _the believers that Jumin sent here.” Yoosung cuts in.

_Do I really need to be conscious for this? _MC closes her eyes.

“OK We get it -we all want to take care of her. We’re all spread thin right now. Let’s just take turns to watch her in her room. She doesn’t have to be moved, and she’ll probably feel most comfortable there anyway.” Luciel proposes. He sounds irritated and tired.

“I agree with Luciel. We should all help take care of her.” V’s decision is final.

MC starts to doze off.

Luciel lowers his voice. “Forget suspecting her for now. She could’ve easily helped the traitor escape, but instead she fought for us. These injuries are serious too…”

MC feels a bit guilty before fully losing consciousness. _You all have more faith in me than I deserve…_

♥♥♥

MC opens her eyes and she’s back in her room. It’s nighttime now; it was dark except for the soft light of her lamp next to her bedside. Jumin is silently reading a book next to her. He glances over and sees her awake; he smiles at her, then continues reading to himself.

MC feels afraid to move. _Luciel said my injuries are serious…_

“Jumin, how bad are my injuries?” She asks softly, steeling herself for the answer.

He looks at her solemnly and hesitates to answer. MC is surprised by the gesture; was he actually showing some empathy?

“I know you want me to be straightforward…?” Jumin says the statement like a question. She nods. “Your most serious injuries consist of a broken left arm and a concussion. You have some severe bruises throughout your body… uh, Yoosung was the only one who inspected you by the way, if you are concerned about your privacy. We didn’t all watch you during this.” He looks to the side.

MC smiles. “It’s alright; I’m not too self-conscious about my body. Thank you for letting me know though.”

She sighs, sinking into her bed. _Shit. My major arm is going to be out of commission for a while._

Jumin stares at her while she in lost in thought. “MC…?” She looks at him.

“Since you are here and being taken care of, you must’ve assumed that the threat was taken care of.”

MC perks up. “Oh! You overestimate me…”

_I completely forgot about those believers._

“What happened to them? Or, what happened in general?” MC asks.

“It’s a long story. The summary is that the fools’ rebellion was easily quenched; thanks to your morale boost the other day quite honestly. First, may I ask you something?” She nods at his question.

He looks her in the eye. “How would you punish them?”

“Argh!” Anger flashes through her for a moment. A sharp headache accompanied it. Reflexively both arms wanted to hold her head -her left arm stings from the attempted movement. Does she hold her arm in pain, or her head?? This was incredibly frustrating.

_What a mess and a half…_

Her right arm slowly comes up to her head to hold it. She sighs again, leaning back in bed. She feels so defeated -and too distracted by the pain to even answer.

Jumin helps her lean back. “I’m sorry. Don’t over exert yourself.” He looks thoughtfully around the room.

“I don’t know why I did this… but I did something strange.”

MC looks curiously at the normally serious and stoic man. _What’s happening right now. _MC gulps, unsure of what to expect.

“I let them go.”

_??????????????????????????????????_

MC wasn’t sure if she was confused from the concussion or just genuinely confused from this out-of-character decision by the notoriously harsh Jumin.

“I suppose, at the moment I thought, ‘They don’t belong here’ and instead of force them to stay and change their mind, perhaps it was best that they go. We will be happier without them and they will be happier without us… I then thought, ’Perhaps I should’ve disposed of them,’ but then later I wondered if all this time would’ve been different if I had treated all the other believers differently in the past. Maybe there’s a reason no one can understand me.” He shrugs. “I feel complicated…”

MC watched him confess his thoughts with large eyes.

“I… told the others that I disposed of the traitors. I’m not sure why I’m telling you this, but… I’ve been feeling different ever since you’ve arrived. You seem different, acting the way you do.”

MC could feel her heart beating. Today truly opened her eyes. Suddenly, it felt like everything that happened today had meaning to it. Or maybe the concussion was getting to her.

“You are normally very outspoken MC. Your silence makes me a bit uncomfortable. What do you think? Never thought I’d have to ask.” He chuckles nervously.

Despite being buried in sheets, MC beams at him.

“Sorry Jumin, I just feel very confused and a bit slow… But I think you did something good, though it was different than what you’re used to. I think you might be figuring out some feelings within you.” She grins. “I’m not sure if anything I said just made sense…”

She closes her eyes. “I think you really are kind on the inside.”

MC pauses to let Jumin respond, but he doesn’t.

“Excuse me… I’m just going to rest a bit more.” She cuddles with her blankets and falls asleep.

Jumin looks at her a bit longer before returning to his book. He had a hard time focusing on the book, thoughts running through his mind.

_Kind… perhaps I never knew that it was how I wanted to be seen. _He smiles, though just for a moment. Jumin feels a creeping nervousness.

_Is this okay? To be changing like this?_

♥♥♥

He sprints through the garden, climbs the wall and into the room in record time. He breathes heavily, but tries to be quiet so as not to wake MC.

Saeran was huffing pretty harshly for air; he’s surprised by how much he rushed himself. The sight of MC resting in bed brought an insurmountable amount of relief, though not enough to ease him.

He quietly steps to her bedside: in each step, his frustration and fear ebbed, leaving shame and sadness in its wake. Saeran couldn’t describe his shame in being unable to protect someone so precious to him.

Tears come to his eyes as he winces at the sight of MC’s sling and cast. Bruises were patterned on her skin, and he knew there were more than what was visible. A chair was still at her bedside. He takes a seat.

Time passes as he keeps her company. Saeran softly types on his laptop, looking up at her every once in a while. He had been satisfied watching Yoosung provide appropriate medical assistance to her earlier. Frankly, he was impressed such meticulous care came from such a half-assed student.

He noticed that the rose was still on her bedside. Without the necessary water or nutrients, it had shriveled up. He wonders if she still needed the rose, or if it would be alright to throw it away.

She stirs in her sleep, slowly opening her eyes. Her eyes sparkle in recognition.

“Saeran!” She says quietly and excitedly. “I’m happy to see you! How long have you been here?”

Saeran feels his heart melt at such a warm welcome. “I am too, but I didn’t want to see you under these circumstances… I’ve been here for almost an hour.” His smile disappears. “I’m-“

“Wait! Don’t be so sad so quickly after seeing me~” MC teases. “I just woke up!”

Saeran laughs, though his eyes were still sad. “You always want to play around, MC. But I feel so guilty…”

She tugs on his arm with her right hand. “Can you help me up Saeran?”

He nods, and gingerly supports her, unsure of where she was injured. Her right arm grabs onto his left, and he supports her body with his right. He can feel her shaking.

“It’s okay, bruises are nothing to me.” She half-jokes, wincing.

“Haha… it’s not really funny MC… Are you sure you want to get up?” He counters, struggling to be even more delicate if it were possible.

“You are so serious Saeran~” She stands wobbly in front of him, his arms still supporting her. “Look, don’t we look like we could dance right now?”

They look into each other’s eyes. How could this precious girl be trying to cheer _him_ up right now? He knew she must be in pain.

“I’m so sorry, MC. It feels like all I can do is apologize.” They embrace each other, though Saeran continued to be worried about aggravating her injuries. She buries her face in his shoulder.

“No, _I’m_ sorry Saeran. Please don’t blame yourself; you didn’t do anything. I was too confident, and I wasn’t being careful.” MC sighs, defeatedly. “I don’t blame you if you want me to leave with you tonight.”

They step away from the embrace in order to look at each other while they spoke. MC’s phone vibrates. They glance at it before shrugging it off. He gently holds her hands while he looks at her.

“I’ll be honest: I do.” He takes a deep breath. “I’ll hear you out though. Did you find what you were looking for?”

She nods excitedly. “Everyone showed some growth today!” Her eyes were sparkling; she was almost bouncing. As she was telling him about her day, though he had seen most of it himself, she absentmindedly steps backwards. Saeran’s bag was behind her, and she stumbles backwards.

“Oh-!” Saeran, who was only holding her hands, lurches forward to catch her. Luckily, he quickly places his arm around her waist and was able to grab her right arm before she fell any further.

MC started chuckling nervously while they were frozen in her mid-fall. “Haha… should I add whiplash to my list of injuries?”

_Did he just catch me?? Would anyone blame me if I want to kiss him right now? _She shakes her head, ignoring her heart beating like crazy.

The adrenaline from the initial panic had Saeran’s heart beating as well. He wasn’t sure if he was just imagining MC blushing in his embrace. Or the sound coming from his chest. _There’s no way she could hear my heart beating right now, right?_

♥♥♥

It happened again. The corner of the blanket -he saw it move suddenly in the video. Golden eyes turn dark at this recognition. What time was it?

_Nearly 1am._ Luciel scowls. Just around midnight the hacker had disappeared. It seems the past few days weren’t a coincidence.

His heart was racing, unsure on what to do. _This isn’t the time to freeze! I have to protect MC!_

Luciel quickly shoots a text to MC.

* * *

**Luciel: MC! I forgot something in your room, I’m just going to pop in to get it!**

**Luciel: Hope I don’t wake you up ^^**

_Hopefully it will wake her up so that she can protect herself…_ _though she’s seriously injured…_

Luciel grits his teeth. He grabs his stuff and rushes over to MC’s room. He texts the Savior as well. He didn’t care if he made noise; if his running wakes the execs, then he’ll have more support. If it’s nothing, then eh -it’s just a harmless prank~

Luciel reaches the third floor as he hears a “Oh-!” from down the hall.

_Did someone just yelp??_

Luciel starts running down the hall. _Everyone should be asleep right now._

He slams open MC’s door. To his horror, there was someone trying to kidnap MC. It was dark, but he could see that the person had a hold of her arm and around her waist. Was he dragging her from the ground?

Luciel was speechless, as was everyone else from his loud entrance.

…

It was not the sound of their hearts pounding; it was the sound of someone’s steps. This they realized when Luciel barged into the room in the middle of their moment.

The second Saeran saw his brother, his mind went blank. It was in these tense moments that agents must take full advantage of their own abilities. It had to be instinct.

Time slowed down, and thoughts from each person raced through their heads. They each understood that the person who thought the fastest would be the one in control of this situation.

_MC is still in my arms. She’s too injured to run, I’ll have to carry her out and escape with her. I’ll be a bit slow, but if I know what I’m doing, then my brother will have to react, and since I do a lot of field work, I should have faster reflexes than him…_

_I’m injured. Saeran will want to escape with me or protect me, but I would only be dead weight. If he tries to bring me with him, we could potentially get caught. He needs to escape and protect himself. If I pretend to be on their side, I can protect him. I can’t act affiliated with him. I need to separate us…_

_Is this the hacker? Or is he one of the followers of the believer who was a traitor? How does he know where MC was staying? He’s trying to kidnap her! I have to protect her, she’s injured! I need to stop him; I have something for that…_

In a swift movement, Saeran picks up MC, but to his horror, she starts screaming.

“Luciel!! Help me!” MC reaches out to him, struggling in Saeran’s arms.

Hearing MC call out to his brother in this high-stress moment felt like a slash to his heart. His fear of abandonment loomed over him, and for a moment he felt like he couldn’t breathe. He stumbled a bit, and MC was able to loosen his hold on her.

_MC… Why? Don’t you trust me? I-_

“Believe in me,” she whispers. How it was possible, he didn’t know, but she kissed him quickly on the lips as she fell from his arms. Saeran’s doubt was quelled. She was standing on her own now, but still in his arms in front of him. She made herself look like a hostage.

“Don’t take another step!” Saeran yells at Luciel. Though it pained him to do so, he had no choice but to play along with what MC set up.

MC glanced at Saeran during this moment, and instantly felt regret when she saw the hurt and betrayal in his eyes.

“Don’t lay a finger on her!” Luciel reaches into his pocket, procuring a handgun. He was shaking; for some reason he felt something weird about this intruder.

Staring down the barrel, the two both feel their blood freeze. This was now a matter of life and death. It was too late to change the situation.

The three, all with different motives, thought the same thing: _I have to protect you!_

_Does Luciel know how to use a gun? MC cannot stand with me -she could be shot._

_As long as I stand with Saeran, Luciel wouldn’t shoot us, would he? I have to stay in front of Saeran._

_Damnit. As long as he has MC hostage, I can’t risk shooting him. I have to get MC over to my side._

Luciel speaks up first. “What do you want? Why are you doing this?”

Saeran is silent. He inches the two of them towards the window.

“**Stop moving!** You think I won’t shoot both of you? I don’t care about this girl.” Luciel threatens.

MC feels her heart drop.

“Shoot us then.” Saeran is 80% sure he is bluffing. He was more enraged that his brother dared to hurt MC’s feelings like that. Even if it was just a tactic.

Luciel shoots at the wall, about 2 meters away from them. Saeran doesn’t even flinch, but the sound was not a light one. It rang in MC’s ears.

“That’s a warning shot. I’ll let you live if you let go of the girl. But if you try to escape with her, I’ll shoot both of you; she knows too much.”

MC can feel Saeran holding on tightly to her. They were holding on tightly to each other. Neither of them wanted to let go, but they were running out of time.

_I have to let Saeran escape. The longer this goes on, the more volatile Luciel might be. Not to mention that the warning shot will definitely wake the others…_

“Forgive me…” she whispers. Saeran understands what their options are.

“Luciel, he let me go! Please don’t shoot!” She pleads loudly. She gives Saeran’s arms a squeeze. Reluctant and defeated, he let go of her.

MC walks slowly towards Luciel, staying between the brothers. She gives Saeran a knowing glance, and he starts inching towards the window.

“MC, move out of the way…!” Luciel says to her under his breath. He tries to inch around her, but she matches him.

“Please… Luciel, I’m scared… put the gun down!” She insists quietly. Luciel does not lower his arms.

The tense moment stretches as seconds pass. Saeran is less than a meter away from the window, MC is halfway across the room, keeping herself in front of the gun, and Luciel slowly makes his way into the room, trying to angle himself around her.

As MC closes the space between her and Luciel, she pretends to stumble, hitting the gun out of his hand.

“MC, be careful!” He catches her and embraces her, momentarily forgetting about the gun as it falls to the floor between the brothers. “Are you alright?” He looks worriedly at MC. It took all her strength to pretend to stumble, and she actually rolled her ankle doing so.

Saeran, taking advantage of the moment, leaps to the window, and crouches on the windowsill, ready to jump down. MC smiles; her efforts were worth it. She halfway collapses to the ground in Luciel’s arms.

Luciel, defeated but relieved for MC’s safety, watches the intruder reach the window. The moonlight shines on him, and Luciel feels his heart stop as he recognizes the young man about to escape.

“Saeran!?” He says incredulously.

Saeran freezes. He turns slowly to look at his brother. The saddest expression was painted across his face; there was so many things he wanted to say to his brother…

Luciel slowly moves MC behind him, still on the ground, and he begins to approach the window. “S-Saeran? Is that really you?”

Saeran feels tears come to his eyes. He resists coming back into the room, but he couldn’t bring himself to jump down either. He doesn’t know what he can say; Saeran knows that once he starts talking, he won’t be able to bring himself to escape.

MC sees the hesitation in Saeran’s eyes, and a sense of dread starts to grow in her. She starts looking around, struggling to think of what she can do. MC tries to get up, but her body hurts more than she expected; her adrenaline rush had already left her.

“Saeran… you wouldn’t leave me again, would you?” Luciel says, moving towards his brother.

MC spots the gun at Luciel’s feet and instantly realizes what was happening before it even happened. “No, WAIT-!” She cries out.

Her ears were ringing from the gunshot, and all she saw was Saeran disappear from the windowsill. It happened too quickly. Did he get shot or did he drop down before it happened? MC felt tears come to her eyes as fear overwhelmed her. She stopped herself from crying out as Luciel turned to look at her with accomplishment in his eyes. Everything went mute. MC read his lips but couldn’t hear his voice.

“Did you see that? I got him!” She felt like throwing up. She leans forward over right arm, hunched over the ground. Her left arm hurts like hell. She physically and emotionally felt weaker than she had ever been.

Seeing her face, Luciel became concerned. He goes over to support her. She can’t hear anything he was saying. MC was just imagining the worst. She wanted to run over and look down, but she was immobilized by fear. She’s seen horrible things in her time as an agent, but nothing compared to how she felt imagining what might be below her windowsill.

“MC, I’m going down to the garden to get him. I’m so sorry for what happened. Stay here, okay? I’ll be back to support you through the shock.” She could hear again, but it was definitely not what she wanted to hear. It took all her willpower not to strangle the brother who had coldheartedly shot at his own twin.

She nods as he leaves her on the ground.

MC looks towards the windowsill. As a million disturbing images flash through her mind, she starts to make her way to the window. Her body hurts, but she crawls over as best as she can with her right arm. She stumbles a few times until finally, as her face finds the cold floor, she wonders if she can keep going.

She blames herself for this mess. Agent work had been different, and now she understood what Rika and Saeran were trying to say. There was no need for tragedy like this. None of this ever had to happen. Rika and Saeran never wanted her to put herself in danger or put anyone in danger, for that matter. MC had been so desperate to prove herself, to figure out this problem on her own, but what was the rush? All she had been doing was getting herself into trouble, enjoying the suspense -the thrill- and now she may be paying the ultimate price for it. But as she pitied herself, lying on the ground, she felt a fire inside her.

_I’m owning up to this._ _If I got Saeran killed, then it’s my fault, and I’m going to make things right._

Tears fall onto the ground in front of her, but they were hot, and they didn’t stop her from moving forward. She was angry. Angry at the foolishness of this whole situation and angry at herself that there wasn’t more she could do except crawl towards the window to see the results of her actions.

As she reached the window, she steeled herself for the worst. She admitted to herself that if she had ever felt love, that this was it. She pulls herself onto the windowsill.

_Saeran, I’m sorry, please forgive me. _She looks down.

Luciel had entered the garden with a handful of believers. They seemed to be searching the area. MC gasps: she couldn’t see Saeran anywhere! Her heart skips a beat as she hears her phone vibrate. She never knew that she could feel so excited NOT seeing the person she wanted to see the most.

Adrenaline gives her a boost, and she quickly stumbles to her phone, which was still lying on her bed. She was receiving a call from an unknown number; she picks it up.

She hears heavy breathing and a relieved sigh.

“You have no idea how mad I am at you for all of this, but I am so glad you picked up.” Saeran says.

MC starts crying. “Saeran!! I thought- oh my gosh- I didn’t see -and the gun!”

She can imagine Saeran smiling. “I’m okay, luckily it just grazed me… are you alright?”

“I love you.”

There’s some rustling on his side of the phone, and MC worries that something might’ve happened to him. “Saeran, are you alright??”

“Sorry, sorry, I tripped a little; I’m still running away -give me a second!”

She waits, listening to him running for a bit. She glances down at the garden, out of their line of sight, and watches the believers and Luciel look around the bushes and throughout the garden. She chuckles, knowing he was much farther than they expected.

“Okay, I’m here.” Saeran says. “And I love you too. Though I would’ve rather have said it in person over dinner or ice cream or any other situation.”

MC smiles, wiping her tears and sniffling.

“Okay, save your tears, alright? I hope you’re ready for what’s next. You’ve made your choice, and you’ll have to stay there for a while. Unfortunately, I’ve been found out -there’s no way Luciel discovered us by chance. I’ll have to erase my presence completely, which means I cannot support you for a bit. As much as I hate it, we’re going to have to wing it from here. Please take care of yourself in the meanwhile. I’ll come back for you, alright?”

“Of course, I’ll be waiting. AND I’ll save everyone at Mint Eye before you’re back!” She jokes.

“You sure recover quick,” He chuckles. “Last night on the phone, didn’t I ask you not to do anything crazy? I can’t trust you anymore!”

“I’m sorry Saeran. I promise I’ll make it up to you when this is all over.”

“It’s a promise then, okay? I have to go and disappear now. Turn your phone off; when you turn it back on, I’ll be gone. Take care.” He hangs up.

MC smiles, beyond relieved. She holds her phone to her chest and thanks all celestial beings and higher powers for Saeran’s survival.

Now time to get back to work.

She looks around and notices Saeran’s bag still next to her bed and quickly stuffs his stuff into some of her own bags. Luckily all he brought was the bag itself, a notebook, a flashlight, snacks, and his laptop. She silently asks for his forgiveness as she knows what she has to do: she turns it on and drops it in the toilet. She fishes it out, dries it, and puts it in one of her bags. To be safe, she’ll take it apart when she has more time.

She gets back to her bed, and the fatigue was finally hitting her. MC gets under the sheets. She could use some rest.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope you all enjoy the story so far! As I mentioned in the previous chapter note, I will be going on hiatus to flesh out the details of the story from here. I do actually have the general plot planned out, but in terms of details... yeah.
> 
> I might post a filler chapter on V-day for y'all, otherwise I plan to return with the next chapter on the first Friday of March, the 6th!
> 
> I hope you all are well in the meanwhile! Thanks so much for all of your support; I truly appreciate it.


	18. Fill in the Blanks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Saeran and Luciel met for the first time in a long time in the last chapter. In an unplanned and stressful scenario, Luciel thought Saeran was kidnapping MC and was able to "rescue" her. As always, time moves on, but everyone's got a lot on their mind.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the late chapter! I've been pretty sick the past few days, so I was bedridden and sleeping up until today -hence the posting now of the chapter! I hope you all have been well.
> 
> Back from the hiatus, I have the intention of posting a chapter every two weeks! Sorry for the slower schedule, but I haven't been able to find a lot of time to write (though I definitely still want to)! I hope you enjoy the first chapter back!

“For a guy living as normally as possible - at least I thought so up until now- you sure have a messy life.” Bandages are being wrapped tightly around Saeran’s right arm as he lies on one of the couches of his cabin.

“Vanderwood, is your commentary really necessary?” Saeran sighs. “Believe me, I _wish_ things weren’t so complicated.”

Vanderwood stares at him blankly before shrugging. “Sorry, sorry. Maybe I’m just jealous because my work is my life. It wasn’t fully an insult.”

Saeran doesn’t bother to respond. He silently receives his treatment.

“...Ray, I’ve worked with you enough to know when you’re overwhelmed or stressed.” He looks down at the boy laying in front of him, sulking. “What’s going on? I know it must not be going fine, but you always seem to be able to work through anything.”

“It’s not just about me anymore, that’s the thing.”

“Oh?” Vanderwood raises his eyebrows. “I thought Rika was joking, but are you actually in love with some girl?”

Saeran winces. _Some girl._ The way he said it just sounded so harsh. Vanderwood receives a cold glare with Saeran’s response.

“It's none of your business.”

Saeran wasn’t really in the mood to be giddy about MC while he was so worried about her. Half of the day had already passed since he was _almost_ caught by his brother, and just this short amount of time without any contact with MC was agonizing. Saeran acknowledges that he feels more like a stalker than he would’ve liked.

Additionally, though he did have a certain level of trust with Vanderwood, he knew that people in their field shouldn’t have any connections to the world when their identity could be erased at any moment. MC would also be in danger being associated to him.

“Relax, Ray! I wouldn’t tell the boss something like this. THIS kind of information is the heavy stuff you keep for blackmail!” Vanderwood laughs. By himself. A look of disappointment covers his face when his partner refuses to amuse him.

“It was only a joke, Ray…”

No response. Vanderwood coughs awkwardly as he focuses on the task at hand.

Though Saeran was somewhat consciously making the decision to ignore Vanderwood, he simply had a lot on his mind. MC. What she said. His brother. Their interaction. His decision… Saeran shakes his head, as though he could physically remove these relentless thoughts. His head throbbed at the sudden movement. He knew it was odd, but he was almost grateful that he had the pain of his injuries to keep him distracted, even if it was for only for a few moments.

Saeran glances around the room, feeling like he was forgetting something… He glances at Vanderwood’s laptop that he borrowed earlier. Luckily it was the same caliber as his own.

_Oh right. Where is my laptop? _He looks around, starting to get up.

Vanderwood holds him down. “Wait Saeran, I’m almost finished here.” He grabs a sling from his medical bag and fits it around Saeran’s arm.

“Right. Sorry, I forgot.” It wasn’t like him to get so distracted. “Have you seen my laptop by the way?”

Vanderwood shrugs, not looking up. “Is it charging maybe?”

Hmm. Saeran didn’t remember plugging it in when he got back to the cabin.

Vanderwood grabs a small cylinder from his bag and hands the white-haired boy some pills. “Take these. It’ll help with the pain. Also, you need some rest; I know you were up all night.” He grabs some water and hands it to his partner.

Saeran nods and obediently takes the medicine. He breathes in deeply, feeling the fatigue settle in as he breathes out. His body aches, but it wasn’t unbearable.

Vanderwood watches his partner close his eyes. Saeran was pretty good at falling asleep instantly; one might say it was a skill, but both Saeran and Vanderwood know it’s sleep deprivation.

“Tell me about it when you get up alright? You made me come all the way out here, after all; I deserve that much.” Vanderwood picks up his laptop to do some of his own work.

“Maybe…” Saeran mumbles, just before his partner could hear his breath slow.

_And here I thought this was just a boy who loved plants and sweets._ Vanderwood watches Saeran sleep a bit. A feeling of bittersweet nostalgia wistfully passes through him.

Throughout the years that Vanderwood had worked with the boy, Saeran had never looked so calm as when he was asleep. Though he was often a professional and calm person, he somehow had this aura that suggested that something was weighing on his mind. Vanderwood never asked of course; that vibe wasn’t uncommon amongst secret agents. Even when they were put under high stress Saeran never broke down, so Vanderwood just figured he had a pretty solid mentality that he didn’t need to check on.

A small smile rests on Saeran’s face, and to Vanderwood’s surprise, it made him smile as well. Embarrassed, he covers his face - good thing Saeran was asleep to miss this sentiment.

_I suppose he’s dreaming about something good._

Vanderwood wonders about the girl. The news still fails to process in his mind; he remains baffled. Saeran _had_ always seemed like the sentimental type, since he grew gorgeous plants and was always kind in his off time. In infiltration missions he got along great with anyone they had to interact with.

But having a romantic relationship?? Vanderwood chuckles and shakes his head. To be fair, he always figured the boy was having secret relationships behind the company’s back – as most agents do. He could believe that Saeran cleaned up so well after himself that Vanderwood would never find a trace of a relationship. But now _actually_ hearing about a girl seems absolutely… bonkers.

He needs more of the tea.

Vanderwood boils some hot water over the stove and picks his laptop up. He scrolls through the open windows but doesn’t find anything spicy. Saeran had only erased his presence from everything he had been hacking.

_No safety measures for your girl? Come on, Saeran._

He gives the boy credit though. If he had left safety measures, it only would’ve been a liability and an opening to get caught. Vanderwood supposes even when Saeran is in love he does a thorough and clean job.

_I guess I gotta keep getting my information secondhand._ Vanderwood picks up his phone, and the call rings only twice before being answered.

“Is everything fine? Is Ray okay??” She seems to be speaking under her breath. She’s probably working.

“Hi Rika, just calling to confirm that everything is the best it can be at the moment. He broke his arm and has sustained some moderate injuries, but he’ll be fine. He’s gone through worse.”

“…Okay.” Rika sighs.

“I know this may be inappropriate timing… but since he’s alright, can I hear about… his girl?”

Suddenly Rika sounds serious. “Vanderwood, Saeran is like a younger brother to me – I wouldn’t just give away his secrets like that!”

Vanderwood is taken aback. What happened to his reputation? He thought they trusted him more than that….

“Rika… I’m hurt, it’s not like that! I just wanted to…” He coughs awkwardly. “Gossip…?”

A burst of laughter comes from her side of the phone. Vanderwood doesn’t know how to respond; maybe it was a bad idea asking…

“Oh my gosh… ok ok, Ray is asleep, I’m guessing?” Rika catches her breath.

“Ok wait – let me move into another room…” Vanderwood glances at Saeran sleeping while tiptoeing into one of the bedrooms.

♥♥♥

Another call rings until going to voicemail. Luciel takes a deep breath, the smell of flowers fill his lungs. He uses all his willpower _not_ to throw his phone. It goes back into his pocket.

“W-we can’t find the intruder, sir!” The believers approach him timidly from all angles of the garden.

Luciel nods and waves his hand at them. “It’s fine. Go to bed, all of you.”

They raise their eyebrows at this show of nonchalant compassion, and quickly nod and dissemble.

Luciel remains standing in the garden by himself. He wonders if he will ever escape the image of being alone. How often had his life turned out this way? He looks up at the dark sky and sighs.

Naturally, he always found himself in the garden. His haven. His hell.

He stares blankly at his roses and stomps up to one of the bushes. He reaches for a pair of red roses but stops an inch away. Luciel feels disturbed; he just doesn’t… feel right.

_What…? Just do what you always do…_

He stares at all the flowers in front of him. They’ve always been so ugly, so mean, so prissy. But right now, they seemed… peaceful? Maybe even happy?

“AAAAAA!!” Luciel screams at the sky. This is driving him insane. In a fury, he quickly grabs a flower, crushing the petals. But the sight of the petals falling from his hands made his heart twist – he yelps and lets go of the flower in horror.

He steps back and falls to his knees. He feels weak. _What’s happening? Why am I feeling like this…_

Steps approach him quickly, and Zen gently supports his friends at his shoulders.

“Luciel! Are you alright??” The actor looks around the garden, not seeing anyone. “Ok, looks like you are safe…”

Luciel looks up at his friend. “I just… wanted to play with some of my flowers,” he says blankly.

Zen inspects his face. “Luciel… you don’t look good. You can mess with the flowers another day.” He helps Luciel up to his feet.

“…why can’t I destroy them, Zen?” Luciel continues to mutter about the flowers as they walk out of the garden.

His friend sighs and looks worriedly at the redhead. “Luciel… nothing has _ever _stopped you from doing absolutely demolishing those flowers. If you're really gonna press on this topic, I would say that you just don’t want to destroy them.” Zen shrugs. “Does it really matter right now? Let’s get you to the medical ward.” He pats his friend on the back.

_Of course, I want to destroy them… I just… I just didn’t feel like disturbing them right now… Yeah, right now isn’t the right time._

Luciel nods as he and Zen walk slowly to the medical ward in silence.

…

Zen stares at the two as Yoosung does a basic check-up on Luciel. It was probably the quietest the two have ever seen the guy. He didn’t even respond to any of Yoosung’s attempts at humor.

After finishing his check-up, Yoosung walks back to Zen. Luciel lies back in the bed, staring blankly at the ceiling.

“Hey, is he-?” Yoosung grabs Zen and pulls him out of the room. The door closes behind him.

“What happened to him?” Yoosung demands, a look of worry showing on his face.

“Huh? I told you, he was on his knees in the garden looking pale! I don’t know what happened!”

Yoosung stares in disbelief at Zen. “Do you see him right now? Something broke him… something _must’ve_ happened!”

“Hey… keep it together man.” Zen puts a hand on Yoosung’s shoulder, and the young man nods with a sad look on his face. “This intruder must’ve said or done something…”

Yoosung sighs. “Maybe… but even when Luciel is surprised or upset, he doesn’t go quiet – and certainly _not calm._ He’s a volatile guy, we all know that. So, what is _this?_”

The two shrug at each other.

“We don’t know much about the situation. You just got the alarm of an intruder, right? They broke into MC’s room… she probably knows more about what happened.” Zen thinks aloud.

“Yeah. She’s sleeping so soundly though, so I just figured it wasn’t anything too serious.” Yoosung shivers. “I think I would be pretty scared if someone broke into _my_ room…!”

Steps approach the two in the hallway, and Jumin is holding Elizabeth the 3rd with him.

“Aw – DUDE!” Zen jumps back and quickly stands behind Yoosung.

Jumin approaches them. “Is Luciel alright?”

“You couldn’t leave the furball in the room??” Zen sneers, starting to sniffle a bit.

“There was an intruder. I’m not going to leave a lady by herself.” Jumin answers, petting Elizabeth the 3rd in his arms. He turns to Yoosung. “So Luciel?”

“He isn’t injured, but he looks traumatized… and I don’t mean that casually.” Yoosung says with a solemn look on his face. “Do you know anything about the intruder? Or what happened?”

“Some believers had just reported to me. All they know is that an intruder was shot and had fallen from MC’s window. They were searching for them in the garden, but it seems they had already gotten away.”

“Shot??” Yoosung’s eyes widen.

“Yes, I’m guessing that Luciel had shot him.” Jumin answers.

“Wow… I never thought we would ever have to actually use these… I’ve only used it once to scare some wild animals.” Zen contemplates.

“I agree. I’ve never even used mine.” Jumin sighs.

“Wait – what? WHAT? You guys have guns??” Yoosung looks a bit pale from his shock.

“May I see how Luciel is doing?” Jumin asks as he enters the medical ward. Zen follows behind him.

“Wait, don’t ignore me-!” Yoosung follows behind them, still being ignored.

♥♥♥

V stares at all the missed calls on his phone. He would talk to Luciel later… there was just too much going on.

He sighs, running a hand through his hair. Sitting at MC’s bedside, he lets his head hang down for a bit.

MC shifts a bit in her sleep, and V looks up in response. He had come in quickly after Luciel had asked someone to help MC, and she was already in bed asleep by the time he arrived. She seemed peaceful for someone who almost got kidnapped. V supposes that everyone must look calmer while they sleep. He also supposes she must’ve been through something in her life for her to just sleep this off.

_MC… what’s going on? _He asks her telepathically. _First, I hear Rika say she visited me, then someone tries to kidnap you? Who are you exactly?_

V had been brainstorming while watching MC sleep. All they knew about MC was that she had been involved with some volunteer associations… maybe that was how she met Rika? Through work?

But then why would Rika send her here? Is Rika involved with the person who tried to kidnap her? That would make even _less_ sense… V felt like he was just confusing himself.

As far as he knew, Rika was the only person who knew where Magenta was. Maybe MC had gone here by mistake, and now Rika was trying to rescue her? That made a bit more sense… except he doubted anyone would find this place by chance.

V’s phone was ringing again. Jumin.

“Hello?”

“Why aren’t you answering my calls? Why did you answer Jumin’s call?!” Luciel was yelling at him.

V admits to himself that it was a messy move for him to answer.

“I’m sorry Luciel, I was pacing around the room and my phone was silent. I had just sat down when Jumin called me.”

“Hm. Well okay.” Luciel didn’t sound totally convinced, but he moves on. “Can you tell me why Saeran was here?”

V almost drops his phone upon hearing that name.

“Why was Saeran here?!” Luciel’s voice was raising. V could hear the other execs trying to calm him down.

“I-I don’t know!” For once, V didn’t know what to say and it was the truth. “I haven’t heard about Saeran since he left! I’m as lost as you are…”

V’s mind was racing with a whole new set of conspiracies now. How in the world does Saeran play into this??

Luciel groans. “How would he know about this place? Why did he try to kidnap MC, **V??** Shouldn’t you _– OK, that’s enough Luciel_ – know whAt’s going on-?!” Rustling and struggling can be heard on Luciel’s end of the phone. It had been a while since V had last heard his name from his friends.

“We apologize for that, my Savior. We didn’t think he would disrespect you like that.” Jumin was on the line now.

“It’s alright. Can you put me on speakerphone?” V requests. After a second, the sounds of arguing whispers can be heard over the line.

“Alright, go ahead.” Jumin says.

“Luciel, I know you must be stressed and confused right now. What you just told me is news to me as well. I promise I don’t know what’s going on, and I’ll do everything to help you figure it out, alright?”

The struggling stops, and it’s quiet for a bit.

“…Alright. But we need to talk, face-to-face, between just the two of us…” Luciel mumbles.

“Of course, I promise we will.” V hasn’t been this stressed in a long time.

Jumin is back on the line. “Okay. I think he’s satisfied for now. I propose we have a meeting tonight to discuss our actions in response to all this.”

“Sounds good Jumin. Organize it and send the details to everyone. Thank you for your work.”

“For eternal paradise.”

“For eternal paradise.” They hang up. V puts his phone down.

He recalls all the hacker activity that has led up to all of this. All this time, it really was Saeran?? There was a moment when he thought that the twin was the only one who could go up against Luciel, but why was that boy attacking Mint Eye? And he tried to kidnap MC?

MC came out of nowhere looking for shelter, then a hacker started attacking, and then she was almost kidnapped… Did she run away from Saeran?

V tries to remember the last time he saw the boy. Rika and he had convinced Saeran to run away to a secret agency, while they promised to look after his brother.

Does that mean… MC was part of that agency and ran away? And then Saeran was hired to go after her??

But then how did she find Magenta in the middle of the mountains???

V was getting a headache. He’s tired. There was no use coming up with a thousand theoretical scenarios in his head; he would just have to ask MC when she wakes up… and do some investigations on his own.

_Rika, MC, and Saeran… how are they related? Are they even related here?_ Maybe it was all just a huge coincidence. One that was making his head throb.

He leans back in his chair, looking around. He spots MC’s phone. He’ll have to ask Luciel to look through it later.

A cold breeze cuts through the room. V gets up and looks out the window. It was a beautiful night tonight. He looks down. Right below MC’s window was a bush that must’ve absorbed some fall damage. It was very fortunate placement…

Though Saeran’s sudden appearance was troublesome for Mint Eye, V harbored no ill feelings towards the boy. If he was going to be honest, it was actually a relief that Luciel didn’t kill his brother. He wished that there was another way that they could’ve reunited. He and Rika never had the intention of ruining their relationship… but they felt like they couldn’t fix it either without upsetting their own relationship with Luciel.

It was complicated.

V did have the intention of clearing up the misunderstanding between them… but plans got convoluted once Rika left. What an odd situation they were in now.

He closes the window and pulls the curtains down.


	19. Follow

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> MC wakes up, and V starts to take action on his own.

The grass feels so soft underneath her. This was a rare moment; it’s really hard to just lie down on a random spot and have it be perfect. The grass could be stiff and jab at bare skin. One could lie down wrong and clothing could bunch up or pull tight and would need some adjusting. The ground could be uneven or scattered with rocks that could be uncomfortable to rest on. The area could even be wet if one wasn’t careful enough to check before lying down.

But it was perfect. A girl is lying down on that spot, her hands clasped together on her stomach. Her eyes are closed, but the gentle warmth from the sun and the light breeze – that isn’t too cold – tells her that the day must be beautiful.

She fully extends her arms away from her and is surprised when she hits two people – each arm had hit something next to her!

She opens her eyes and quickly sits up. Two young men next to her had done the same. The three stare at each other in surprise. They were only about a foot and a half away from her, on either side.

“Oh! How long have you two been there? Sorry about that!!” She gives a sheepish, but genuinely apologetic smile.

The two young men blink at her silently. They smile and shrug and both lie back down, completely in sync with their movements. Though she probably should’ve been satisfied with that, the girl felt a bit disturbed…

She slowly lies back down as well, despite her unease. She looks up at the sky and is surprised to see that it was raining! The sky was dark, and she could see the raindrops falling. Why couldn’t she hear them? As she looks at herself in panic, she finds that she isn’t getting wet. She feels her arms and her clothing, but she still feels the warm and light breeze from earlier.

“Huh…? What’s happening?” She asks openly, looking to the young men beside her – but they were simply lying down with their eyes closed.

She sits up again; her eyes wander down, and to her horror they were lying on flower petals. She starts swiping at the floor, trying to find the grass underneath, but it was just more and more flower petals.

She feels a bit confused amidst her growing panic… after all, what was so scary about flower petals?

She can feel herself sinking. Her ankles were already under the petals.

She yelps and instinctively tries to grab around her for something to hold on to.

“Hey… Don’t panic, grab my hand.” A voice emerges out of nowhere.

She looks up and the two men were extending a hand to her. She was only a foot lower than them, and suddenly it seemed that the sinking had stopped.

Who had spoken to her just now?

They look familiar, but she can’t seem to remember who they are. Both of them looked about her age, in their early 20s. They had bright red hair and golden eyes.

She reaches both of her hands up. To her dismay, they retract their arms away. They look at each other, look back down at her, and extends their hands to her again.

They only wanted her to choose one of them. For some reason, she felt like this decision was important. She inspects them further, and unexpectedly she was not able to notice a single subtle difference between them.

She felt herself feeling frustrated. It didn’t make sense! …and yet it was clear to her what decision to make.

She reaches to her left and grabs on to the young man. A smile spreads across his face, and she feels her heart melt at the sight of it.

Without warning, he winces and yelps in pain. His other arm holds his shoulder – it was bleeding…

“Are you okay?!” She lets go of him, so as not to pull on his injured arm.

He reaches after her. “No – wait!”

Without warning the ground seems to drop under her –

The sky and young man to her right shrink out of view as she free falls. Where was the other man?

She feels an arm around her shoulders. He was beside her.

“It’s okay.” He says. He maneuvers in front of her. She nods at him, and they support each other, holding each other’s forearms.

They continue to fall. Or were they floating? It didn’t seem like they were falling fast, but it was hard to tell since they were surrounded by pitch black. Eventually they turn themselves onto their backs, facing what must’ve been up and falling side by side. Their hair flew upwards and air pressure came under them; perhaps they were scared once, but now there was just something comforting about being next to each other in this silent nothingness.

She looks over at him – at his clothing soaked red on his right side. A few tears well up from guilt.

“A-are you okay…? Did I make the wrong decision?” She asks woefully. “I’m sorry…”

He smiles at her and shakes his head.

“I was already like this. I didn’t know. But you made me realize.”

“What?” She looks at him quizzically.

He looks at her, inspecting her face. He tucks some of her long brown hair behind her ear. He looks… sad.

“Also, there is no wrong decision.”

<strike>An immense pressure surrounds her as they hit the surface below them.</strike> ***THUD***

MC springs up in bed from the shock. Her left arm aches from the sudden movement.

“Agh! …huh?” She looks around and she’s in somewhere that’s not her bedroom…

“Hey, are you alright?” A handsome man with long white hair and deep red eyes is at her bedside, looking dumbfounded at her sudden outburst.

She blinks at him blankly. It takes MC a second for her mind to process, but she slowly remembers her situation: she’s undercover in a cult and injured with no connection to her backup.

Zen sees the recognition in her face. “Forgot me for a second, princess?” He teases. “Are you alright?”

MC sighs. “I think your beauty just made my mind go blank!” She jokes. She lies back in bed. Zen supports her.

_How did I get myself into this mess again? What a long story…_

“How long have I been asleep?” MC was a bit scared of the answer.

“Well, your room was broken into last night, and it’s the next afternoon. You just missed lunchtime. Should I get you some food?”

_Thank goodness I didn’t lose too much time… I hope Saeran’s okay…_

She recalls her dream. Why do dreams have to be so cryptic…

…

Zen smiles at her, patiently waiting for her response. MC seemed a bit out of it. He figures that with the whole situation last night, it makes sense that she would be a bit flustered. Perhaps he was overwhelming her and should give her some time to process.

“Sorry MC, do you need a moment? Just let me know, alright.”

MC gives Zen an appreciative nod. Zen gets up and sits at the table as she lies back down in bed; she seems to have a lot on her mind.

Zen grabs his phone to log into the chatroom.

* * *

**ME Chatroom:**

**Zen: MC is awake!**

**Yoosung: Thank goodness!**

**Luciel: That’s good**

**Jumin: Does she appear to be alright?**

**Zen: Yeah, she just seems a bit overwhelmed…**

**Yoosung: Well looking at Luciel, that makes sense**

**Luciel: …**

**Yoosung: No offense ^^**

**Luciel: I’m fine.**

**-Savior enters the chatroom-**

**Yoosung: Well Jaehee is feeling better as well!**

**Yoosung: Though she hasn’t been very active lately**

**Yoosung: Hey**

**Yoosung: Jaehee**

**Jaehee: Hello everyone, I am fine**

**Jaehee: Don’t spam. I’m in the same room as you, Yoosung and Luciel so I don’t see why we should all be speaking on the messenger…**

**Jumin: Glad to see you are feeling better**

**Jaehee: Thank you, Mr. Han**

**Luciel: Well? Do you have some news for us?**

**Jumin: I didn’t say I had any news.**

**Savior: I think he means me, Jumin**

**Savior: Sorry, I was just letting the current conversation finish**

**Luciel: Ok, well it’s finished.**

**Zen: MC is awake btw!**

**Savior: Yes, I saw that! That’s very good to hear.**

**Savior: Sorry for the short notice everyone, but I had some urgent business to attend to**

**Jumin: ?**

**Savior: I’ve left Magenta for a moment, but I will be back in time for the meeting tonight.**

**Yoosung: Oh, ok well be safe!**

**Luciel: What?**

**Luciel: What is more urgent than the current situation HERE?**

**Yoosung: Do you need some help? What’s wrong?**

**Savior: Sorry, because of the current situation, I need you all to stay at Magenta and support each other**

**Savior: I can take care of this situation myself**

**Jumin: Well, if you need us let us know.**

**Jumin: Tell us about it at the meeting later?**

**Zen: Good luck! Don’t forget about the meeting later!**

**Savior: Ah yes, I’ll see you all at the meeting later!**

**Savior: Thank you all for understanding and for your hard work!**

**Savior: For eternal paradise.**

**-Savior left the chatroom-**

**Yoosung: That was pretty sudden of him…**

**Yoosung: Shouldn’t we try to help?**

**Jaehee: He said he would tell us later about it**

**Luciel: No. He didn’t.**

**Zen: Luciel, come on, we knew what he meant!**

**-Luciel left the chatroom-**

**Yoosung: I have to give Luciel some medicine!**

**Yoosung: ttyl!**

**Zen: See you guys later as well!**

**Zen: Jumin, don’t forget to send us the details.**

**Jumin: lol**

**Jumin: As if**

**-Zen left the chatroom-**

Zen looks up from his phone. This time it seemed that MC was patiently waiting for him.

“Sorry, MC! I was just on the messenger. I let the other execs know that you are awake!”

“Ah, thanks Zen!” MC smiles. She looks around her.

“Uhm… Do you know where my phone is Zen? I was going to hop on the messenger as well, but I can’t seem to find it…” She looks at her empty nightstand and whimsically shrugs.

“Oh! Sorry, I forgot to tell you. Luciel has your phone right now to try and see if the hacker hacked into your phone and was stalking you through it.”

MC looks off to the side. “Oh… ok then!”

A sound gurgles from MC’s stomach.

“…Can we grab some food? I am actually starving.” MC is holding her stomach.

“Right! Of course, let’s go~” Zen walks over to support MC out of bed, and they head over to the cafeteria.

♥♥♥

Walking briskly through the crowd of people on the sidewalk, V tucks away his phone. He spots the group of people he was looking for in front of the store he expected them to meet. One person was missing…

V is far enough not to be noticed amidst the bustling crowd, but close enough to eavesdrop. The association was going to go shopping for supplies together as a group. Rika’s coworkers were all accounted for – without her.

Was it a coincidence that the day after Saeran breaks into Magenta, Rika is missing? V patently listens in on their conversation.

“Ok, we’ve got everything listed down. Rika also texted me a few comments since she couldn’t make it.”

“I hope everything’s okay.”

“Don’t worry, it should be fine! She just said Ray was sick.”

_Ray? One of the other association members? He’s their IT member I think…_ V did know most of the members of Rika’s association. He recognizes the name: Ray was undoubtedly important, since he was often brought up in conversation. He has seen him once or twice before from afar – his notable qualities were his white hair and blue eyes – but he was more of a behind-the-scenes guy. However, V doesn’t recall ever seeing him on the welcoming committee.

“Yeah, it shouldn’t be serious. It’s just because Ray lives by himself and they’re practically family.”

“I don’t know… Ray has been gone for a week. What if he’s seriously ill?”

“Don’t think like that! Let’s just focus on the task at hand and then we can check on Ray. Rika already went to go take care of him, after all.”

_That sounds like Rika. When one of her own is struggling, she will be the first to go and try to help. _V feels a bit guilty. Rika is just watching over her people, just as he is. He turns to leave.

“Yeah, let’s make him a card or something!”

“He would probably really love some flowers!”

_Hm. I respect that, there’s not a lot of men who are open about liking flowers. A man of culture. _

“Ooh, let’s get flowers that match his hair haha!”

With morale salvaged, the group excitedly enters the store. The final comment that escapes before the store door shuts makes V stop in his tracks.

“Which color? White or red?”

V adjusts his hat and takes a deep breath.

_…"Ray," huh? Men can like flowers, but there very few people in this city that have red hair._

And he could name one that had both qualities. It was a stretch, but now he had a lead.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for the short chapter this week! As all of you may know, things are bit crazy in the world right now.
> 
> I hope all of you are staying safe and well! Take a stab at new hobbies, revisit old ones, or heck - try writing! Most of all, stay positive if possible. My love goes out to all of you, and I have the deepest of condolences for anyone affected by the situation right now.


End file.
